Please enjoy this devotion from Friends and Heroes and feel free to pass it on to your friends.

Transcription

1 FREE Family Devotion Please enjoy this devotion from Friends and Heroes and feel free to pass it on to your friends. In addition to these pages, you will also need to view Friends and Heroes, Episode 1 Long Journey. Your free devotion includes: Devotion p. 1-3 Extra, Extra! activities p. 4-6 More about Friends and Heroes Family Devotions p. 7 We hope you and your children enjoy your free devotion! P373 Friends and Heroes is a Registered Trade Mark of Friends & Heroes Productions Ltd 2016

2 Focus: God Makes Us Brave Bible Story: Daniel and the Lions Den (Daniel 6:1-24a) Memory Verse (optional): For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him. (Psalm 34:7 NLT) (Read the two paragraphs below to your family to help them get acquainted with the Friends and Heroes adventure characters. Also, see page 3 for a picture of Macky and the gang to use as you introduce them to your family.) Meet Macky and the Gang Macky and his family are Friends of Jesus, growing in their faith. Macky s parents are Samuel and Diana and the family lives in Alexandria, Egypt. Samuel is a silversmith and Diana is a seamstress. Rebecca and her younger sister, Leah, are sent to Macky s family in Alexandria. Their father, Daniel, sent them there to escape danger in Galilee, where the Friends of Jesus were being more harshly persecuted. Daniel knew he could trust his old friend Samuel to take care of his daughters. Macky and the gang often tell Bible stories to each other, recalling heroes of the faith to help them face their own tough times or frightening situations. You can learn more at > Characters > Adventure Characters. ( Watch Together Watch all of Episode 1, Long Journey. Read Together Read Daniel 6:1-24a in the Bible. Explore Together Read the paragraph below to your family and discuss the questions that follow. (Possible answers are given in italics.) Sometimes, it s just plain scary to do the right thing. In the adventure story, Diana is afraid of what the Romans might do to her family if the family takes in Leah and Rebecca. She hesitates to do the right thing because of her fears. Sometimes, we, too, are faced with a tough or scary decision to make and it s easy to be afraid and not want to do the right thing. Because we can t know how things are going to work out, we are afraid. But, just like Daniel in the Bible story, we have to trust that God will take care of us. 1

3 In the adventure story, why is Diana fearful about helping the girls? Because she is afraid of what the Romans might do if her family helps Leah and Rebecca. In the Bible story, how did the sly governors know that Daniel would not stop praying to God? Daniel had a reputation for praying. How did Daniel show he trusted God after he heard the king s order? He prayed anyway, just as he had always done. What happened to Daniel when he was thrown into the lions den? The lions did not hurt Daniel at all. Note: You and your family may enjoy the song Daniel (Track 7) from our What About Love? music CD. This song reinforces the lessons your family is learning today from the story of Daniel and Lions Den. Learn more about this resource at Share Together Discuss these questions together. Answers will vary widely. The object of the questions is to get everyone in the family talking and sharing, and focused on what God is teaching them. What would you do if you were in Diana s place? Would you take in Leah and Rebecca? Explain why or why not. How does God help us be brave? Can you think of a time when God helped you be brave? Tell the family about it. Name something that you re facing now that you need God s help to be brave about. Pray Together Today, we suggest that a parent lead the family in prayer. If devotions are a new habit for your family, it will help set the tone for future devotions. Here are some things to consider praying about as you close your time today: Pray specifically for each member of your family, perhaps addressing what was shared from the last question today. Thank God for Daniel s example and ask that God guide your family in following him in the face of danger and uncertainty. Extra, Extra! (Optional) Your children may enjoy doing one of the wordsearches in the children s printables. There are two versions there: a simple wordsearch for younger children and a more complex one for older children. For even more fun and games for your children from Episode 1, go to 2

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5 Extra, Extra! Family Devotions Series 1 Wordsearch - Long Journey Can you find the words below in the grid? These are important words from the Bible stories in Daniel and Lions Den and the Miraculous Catch of Fish that taught us important lessons like being courageous and trusting God. L M F T W L O I A O E S F O O I E F B Y N N R I A A W N E S D C A T C H DANIEL CATCH LION BOAT FISH For answers, go to key in back of children s printables. 4

6 Extra, Extra! Family Devotions Series 1 Wordsearch - Long Journey Macky and his family risk the wrath of the Romans by taking two refugee girls into their home. Through their adventures and retelling of their people s stories we learn the importance of being courageous and helping others. See if you can find these important words from this episode hidden in the grid. Z K R E T E K I N G I S V S F X F G B E P I B D A P M O P Q S W D V N L C U E A Y E L U V P S K W K Q J Q D Y R P Z G V R Z U Y K C A M U B J I O N X A Z M O B E E L I L A G U L R S F F P E D Y K X A A A K S Q M A B B J G Y Q L T V V K C G S J M M Y K A S I L E H B H I G H I U V L G R Z K C Z Y Q A V D Y D E C E W U O S C Y C E K T D R S L T I T O P X U P J L C E G M W D H N R C M J B U F F Q G L I O N S A D E N F C S U O L U C A R I M D L Z U B LIONS DARIUS DEN KING MACKY DANIEL SAMUEL GALILEE COURAGEOUS MIRACULOUS For answers, go to key in back of children s printables. 5

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8 We hope that you and your family enjoyed this free devotion! If you would like to learn more about our full Family Devotion Pack which includes 26 weekly devotions, please visit or scan the QR code below. Other Resources Friends and Heroes also offers outstanding children s Bible resources for churches and homeschool families. You can visit the pages below to learn more and to download free lessons! Friends and Heroes Homeschool Bible Study Curriculum Friends and Heroes Church Bible Lessons 7