Supplies: Bible; pictures from a family trip or event (optional)
SHARE
It’s hard to believe, but summer is just around the corner. With Easter behind us, it’s just a short six or seven weeks before school is out for the year. This is the time of year when I start to get a little nostalgic remembering the countless summer vacations my family and I took when I was a kid. That’s probably the thing I miss the most from childhood. Every spring, my parents would choose a “focus destination” somewhere in the continental U.S. Then they’d look at all the different routes we could take to get there and the various sites and landmarks along the way. For a few weeks, our mailbox would be stuffed with brochures and travel guides from the tourism boards located along our path. Then at the end of June, we’d load up the station wagon like a giant three-dimensional game of Tetris and spend the next two weeks tent camping across the country and back.
I admit it: at the time, it didn’t seem like tons of fun. Every once in awhile we’d go to some place cool, like Disneyland or Gettysburg, but most of the time was spent in the backseat of a hot car without air conditioning. Looking back now, though, I realize how valuable these trips were. First, I got to see so much of our beautiful country. Some of the places I’ve been and sites I’ve seen are A-MA-ZING! I also had the chance to experience the different cultures across the nation. But the most important thing about these vacations was that they became a bonding place for my family. We experienced everything together, and now, 30+ years later, they help connect us. We still talk about our adventures and make jokes about Sunshine punch and the snowball fight at Wolf’s Creek Pass.
I bet your family has some similar experiences. Maybe you’ve got pictures from a favorite vacation or trip. Take a look and share some of your memories.
READ
For the next several weeks, we’re going to be exploring 1 Corinthians 10 together. As we kick off this new iRock series, read the first three verses together in this chapter.
THINK
Huh? This chapter feels like it begins in the middle of something, like it’s someone else’s story…only we don’t necessarily know the references. As Paul writes to the Corinthian church here, he starts talking about a story from the Old Testament. They would have understood that he was talking about Moses and the Israelites after they left Egypt. He mentions the pillar of cloud God used to guide them during the day, the pathway he provided through the Red Sea, and the satisfying manna he sent from Heaven each morning. These were defining, miraculous experiences that the entire Israelite population shared at that time. It was their “family vacation”—all two million of them—binding them together as a nation. In fact, the shared memories of those adventures would be talked about for generations, reminding an entire people of God’s love and power for thousands of years.
Family vacations are special, no doubt. But it’s even more special, more influential when a family shares their journey with God. I know each person has their own relationship with Jesus, and that holds true for the individuals in a family. Not everyone in the house is at the same place in their journey with Jesus. In fact, not everyone may have even started a journey with Jesus. But isn’t it true that when God moves in the life of one member, He impacts the entire family? When God blesses with a new job or new baby, the whole family is blessed. When he leads a parent to begin a new ministry adventure, the whole family is affected. When he calls a teen to spend a season on the mission field, the whole family is impacted. Beyond that, however, we can experience these adventures purposefully as a family.
There are many details about our family vacations that have slipped through the cracks of my memory, but I will never forget standing in our church that one particular Sunday when I was thirteen. I watched as my parents exchanged a powerful look following what I thought to be a rather ordinary sermon. I saw their eyes brim with tears as they clasped hands. I later learned that God had spoken clearly to both of them about moving our family from Connecticut back to Iowa. Of course, my life was certainly affected by that move of God. More than that, though, I got to be a part of his moving—I got to watch and talk with my parents about how he led them and why they felt he was calling us to relocate. That experience had a profound impact on my relationship with God.
APPLY
We’re beginning a new series, and we will be tackling some challenging issues as we journey through the rest of 1 Corinthians 10. Wouldn’t it be awesome if, as God led you (Dad, Mom, son, daughter)…if as he led you, you could share the experience with the rest of your family? How cool would it be to start journeying with God together? It can be as simple as setting aside a little time each day or each week to share and talk about how God’s moving in each of you. Imagine the powerful connection you could build by sharing in each other’s spiritual victories and helping through each other’s spiritual trials! Those are memories that can influence generations! Would you agree together today to start journeying through your faith life together as a unit and see all the amazingly beautiful places God can take you?
PRAY
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us this family. Thank you for (insert the names of each family member). Help us as we journey through life together, not only as “The (insert last name)”, but as we go as your followers, traveling with You, Jesus, together. In Your Name we pray, Jesus. Amen
REPLY
Did you and your family enjoy this devotional blog? We'd love to know about it! Our hope is to continue providing this weekly opportunity for families to do a devotion together. If your family did this devotion, please shoot us an email, text or just post a comment to this blog.
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