Week: Jesus in the Gospels
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
Jesus, as we spend these few minutes together, we open our eyes to see what You’re doing, our ears to hear what You’re saying, and our hearts to receive what You want to give to us today.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Asaph
John 15:9
[Jesus said] ‘I loved you as the Father loved me. Now remain in my love.’
John 15:9 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we’re REFLECTING on a time when Jesus spoke some harsh words to the Pharisees, who were the religious leaders in Jesus’ day. These leaders studied God’s laws and they knew them really well.
Read by Asaph
Matthew 23:25-26
[Jesus said] ‘How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You wash the outside of your cups and dishes, but inside they are full of things you got by cheating others and by pleasing only yourselves. Pharisees, you are blind! First make the inside of the cup clean, and then the outside of the cup can be truly clean.’
Matthew 23:25-26 (NCV)
Imagine doing the washing up and only cleaning the outside of a cup, but leaving the inside part of it dirty? That’s how Jesus described the Pharisees – the religious leaders.
The Pharisees looked ‘clean’ – they looked great on the outside; they went to the temple, they read the scriptures, they prayed. But on the inside, they were ‘dirty’ – their hearts were filled with pride, jealousy, selfishness and all kinds of other sins.
Following Jesus isn’t only about the things that other people can see, like going to church and reading the Bible and praying. It’s also about the things that other people can’t see – it’s about our hearts. Jesus wants us to have clean lives, inside and outside!
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What is our favourite household chore? (And maybe what’s our least favourite one too?)
In one of David’s Psalms, he invites God to examine his heart… to see if there is anything bad inside him (Psalms 139:23-24).
Father God, like David, we ASK You to examine our hearts – to check the inside of us, the parts that no-one else sees. Show us if there’s anything inside us that You want to change.
Before we move on, let’s pause for a few moments to listen for anything that God might want to say to us.
Now, let’s think of the Christian leaders that we know.
Father God, we thank You for them. We ASK You to lead them – to show them how you want them to live, on the outside and on the inside 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 23:25-26
[Jesus said] ‘How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You wash the outside of your cups and dishes, but inside they are full of things you got by cheating others and by pleasing only yourselves. Pharisees, you are blind! First make the inside of the cup clean, and then the outside of the cup can be truly clean.’
Matthew 23:25-26 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, thank you for Your love and kindness for us. We say YES to giving You our whole lives – the outside and the inside – the parts of us that everyone sees and the parts that no-one else sees.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
John 15:9
[Jesus said] ‘I loved you as the Father loved me. Now remain in my love.’
John 15:9 (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.
Asaph lives in Portland, Oregon with his younger sister Adelina, father and mother. He enjoys riding his bike, camping, reading, playing flag football and watching Bible Project videos. Asaph is kind and smart and loves hanging out with friends!
