Loves Me! Lenten Devotions for Children

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1 Jesus Loves Me! ve ions i t ea icat r C n u ple m m am o S C Lenten Devotions for Children

2 I Am Jesus Little Lamb Ash Wednesday Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. Isaiah 40:10-11 I don t know much about lambs. Do you? I know they are cute and playful, and that they can get into trouble if you don t watch them. In that way they are a lot like puppies. There are times when sheep do things that are really foolish, like wandering away from the flock and getting into some dangerous places. Even a big sheep could be in trouble then, but a little lamb can really have problems. Just like puppies. Or children. Aren t you glad God has given you someone in your family to watch over you and take care of you? And aren t you glad Jesus does that too? 2 Jesus Loves Me!

3 The Lord Is My Shepherd Thursday after Ash Wednesday I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11 Sheep need a shepherd. If they don t have one, they can get into a lot of trouble, because there are so many things that can hurt them. But if you are going to have a shepherd, it might as well be a Good Shepherd, one who cares for the sheep and is able to take care of them. If that is the case, what better Shepherd could we ever want than the Lord himself? Jesus cares for us so much that he laid down his life for the sheep. And because he is the Lord, he is able to do whatever we need to be safe and secure. Lenten Devotions 3

4 I Shall Not Want Friday after Ash Wednesday The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23:1 When you come to the table for a meal, do you ever worry that there won t be a thing there to eat? Or anywhere in your house? When you open a closet or a drawer, do you ever think that you will have nothing to wear? Really nothing? Did you ever think you would go to school someday and there would be no teacher for your classroom? Or that you would get sick or hurt and there would be no doctor? Or that there would be no mattress for your bed? Or water in the faucets? There are so many things we don t have to worry about because we have always known that they are there, provided for us even when we don t think about them. See? Our Good Shepherd who cares for us is taking care of us. 4 Jesus Loves Me!

5 He Makes Me Lie Down Saturday after Ash Wednesday He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. Psalm 23:2 Come unto me, all who are tired and feel weighed down, says Jesus, and I will give you rest. Does that sound like something your mother would say, inviting you to take a nap? Sometimes when you are really tired, one of your parents may actually carry you to bed. You don t even remember it, but you must have needed it, and they knew it and did something about it. They made you lie down. Nobody can do everything; Jesus knows that. And so your Good Shepherd invites you to rest. He will take care of things. Lenten Devotions 5

6 The First Sunday in Lent A Celebration of Our Shepherd s Love I am Jesus little lamb, Ever glad at heart I am; For my Shepherd gently guides me, Knows my need and well provides me, Loves me every day the same, Even calls me by my name. 6 Jesus Loves Me!

7 He Leads Me Monday of the First Week He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name s sake. Psalm 23:3 The Good Shepherd would never ask us who are his sheep to go where he himself was not willing to go ahead of us. The shepherd does not walk behind the sheep, pushing them ahead into what might be dangerous situations, but the Good Shepherd goes ahead of them, looking out for things that might harm them, guiding them away from places where it is not safe to go. It s like when your mother or father leads you somewhere. Because they are your parents, you feel confident about where they are taking you. Because he is your Savior who loves you and laid down his life for you, you can be confident about where Jesus is leading you. He is leading you at last to heaven. Lenten Devotions 7

8 Easter Sunday! A Celebration of Our Shepherd s Love On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, Peace be with you. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. John 20:19-20 Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed. By Arden Mead. Art by Brian King. 1999, 2018 for the Parish, a Division of Bayard, Inc., 1564 Fencorp Dr., Fenton, MO All rights reserved. JL1 This book, along with many other for the Parish products, is available on