Week: Receiving 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 Hubo
Psalm 103:19
The Lord has set his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over everything.
Psalm 103:19 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we’re continuing to REFLECT on a parable about a farmer and his fields, which Jesus used to explain a bit about what the Kingdom of God is like.
Read by Hubo
Matthew 13:7,22
[Jesus said] ‘Some other seed fell among thorny weeds, which grew and choked the good plants. And what is the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching but lets worries about this life and the temptation of wealth stop that teaching from growing. So the teaching does not produce fruit in that person’s life.’
Matthew 13:7,22 (NCV)
The thing about weeds is that they stop good plants from growing well. Weeds take so many things away that good plants need to grow – they take the light, the water, the nutrients from the soil and they also take space – and these are all things that good plants need to grow well and produce fruit.
In today’s verses, Jesus says that things in our lives can become a bit like weeds – they can make it difficult for us to live God’s way – to live in God’s Kingdom. Jesus mentions things like; worrying about our lives, and being greedy for money and things, being selfish instead of focusing on him.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What are our top three favourite fruits to put in a fruit salad?
In today’s verses, Jesus describes worries as weeds. Is there anything that we are worried about at the moment? Let’s close our eyes for a moment and imagine that these worries are like weeds in the soil of our lives.
Lord Jesus, we ASK You to help us pull up these worry-weeds. They just take up light and space, and we really don’t want them in our lives any more. We ASK You to plant more peace in us instead.
And now let’s pray what we’ve just prayed for ourselves for someone else. Who do we know that may be worrying about something at the moment.
Let’s quietly whisper their names and pray for them. Maybe we could simply pray, ‘Peace be with you’, as we think of them.
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 13:7,22
[Jesus said] ‘Some other seed fell among thorny weeds, which grew and choked the good plants. And what is the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching but lets worries about this life and the temptation of wealth stop that teaching from growing. So the teaching does not produce fruit in that person’s life.’
Matthew 13:7,22 (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. We say YES to pulling up the worry-weeds in our lives to make more light and space for You, Jesus.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Psalm 103:19
The Lord has set his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over everything.
Psalm 103:19 (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.
Unathi lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with her husband and 5 kids; and has a passion for seeing families thriving.
You’ll most likely find her homeschooling the tribe, reading, writing, or dreaming about the next DIY project.
She also loves good coffee, dark chocolate and hiking.
Hubolodumo (Hubo) is 10 years old, and lives In Johannesburg, South Africa with his parents and 4 siblings.
When he’s not busy trying out ninja moves, he’s practicing the latest dance moves, playing soccer, drawing or playing games with his friends.
