FAMILY IT! — Wednesday Family Devotional — “What Can You Do?”

Supplies: Bible

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“Everybody can do something.”  In my absolute favorite John Hughes movie, five high schoolers sit in Saturday detention sharing the stunts and pranks that landed them there.  When the conversation starts to get a little intense, one of the students breaks the tension by sharing a unique talent she has: she can write and eat with her feet.  After a few minutes of amazement, each of the other teens begins to share their own noteworthy ability, too.

Imagine you were sitting around with these kids.  Let’s change the setting, though: instead of detention, you’re all sitting at lunch.  What special skill would you share?  Maybe you don’t have such talented toes, but surely there’s something you can do that’s a little out of the ordinary.  I’ve been told I can make a pretty good elephant noise.  What about you?  Can you balance a spoon on your nose?  Or say the alphabet in reverse?  Or roller skate backwards?  (I always wanted to learn to do that!)  Share one of your special talents with your family. 

READ

Read Genesis 41:1-46 together as a family.

THINK

I don’t know what your unique skills you have, but I bet nothing compares with Joseph’s.  He can interpret dreams!  How awesome is that!  I tell you, there are many times I wish I knew Joseph personally so he could explain some of my weirder sleep stories.  No wonder he finally made it to Pharaoh’s presence.  I would think a gift that grand would go public pretty fast.  I can picture Joseph with his own little tent in the bazaar: “The Dream Doctor.”  He could have made a fortune!  Which is why it’s doubly impressive that Joseph did what he did.  

Take a look at verses 15-16 again.  Pharaoh gives Joseph a chance to really brag on himself, to toot his own interpreter’s horn.  But instead, Joseph instantly gives credit to God, recognizing that all of his abilities and talents are not inherently his own.  By acknowledging the Lord as the source of his skills, Joseph opens up the opportunity for God to do great things, in this case promoting Joseph to governor and saving Egypt and its neighboring countries.  Pretty amazing!

APPLY

Everybody can do something.  We all have special talents and abilities that have been gifted to us by God.  Maybe not spoon-balancing or backwards skating, but I know you have some skills.  Can you draw well?  Or maybe there’s a sport that you’re really, really good at?  Some people are amazing organizers and planners, while others are insanely creative and invent new tools and things.  They may not be quite as extraordinary as interpreting dreams, but they are still your God-given gifts.  And, like Joseph, when we use our gifts, it is so important that we acknowledge the source.  It’s so easy to take credit for our mad basketball skills or a beautiful voice, but instead, we want to remember Joseph’s model.  The more we recognize our abilities as God’s gifts, and the more we share that with others, the more opportunities we open up for God to do great things…just like Joseph.

End your time together by sharing some of your God-given gifts and talking about how God can move through you when you use your talents.

PRAY

Wonderful Lord, thank you for all of your amazing blessings.  Thank you for the gifts and talents you’ve blessed us with.  Help us to remember you as the source of all that we have and do.  Lead us to point to you every time we do what you’ve blessed us to do.  Most of all, we thank you for the gift of your Son.  Without Him, we would be nothing.  Your love for us is truly a wonder!  In Your Name we pray, Amen.

REPLY

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