Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

One of my most favorite memories of growing up in a small, country community was the one week in the summertime that we attended nighttime church revival. One of the reasons it’s a favorite memory is because of what happened after church. While all of the parents and grandparents stood around fellowshipping under the stars, the children would venture off into the darker areas of the parking lots looking for lightning bugs. There was just something magical about finding those wondrous creatures that looked like small lights flying about as we were playing outside together. I still remember those tiny lights and how it brought joy to see those small glimpses of light in the darkness.

In our present day, our world seems to be losing its light. Darkness overshadows, in so many ways, all the light that is among us. We’ve got to find ways to flip the script! There’s just something settling and reassuring about finding light in the darkness.

I know that I can watch the evening news on television and there will be 28 minutes of bad news with one glimpse of positive light.

As a unified covenant family of God, we must do all that we can to stomp out the darkness by shining our lights brighter each day!

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• What are some ways that you can make your light shine brighter? How can you lead your family to be the light within your neighborhood or local community? Brainstorm ways to do this with them.
• Read and apply Philippians 2:14-15: "Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, 'children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.' Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky."
• Prayer: Dear God, Help us to identify any areas of darkness in our lives. Lord, we want to be a reflection of Your light to all of those who see. Expose areas of need as we search our hearts and minds so that we can identify ways to be the light to others. Amen.

Family Devo: Ephesians 5

By: Ty Park

When partnering with your family to know, love, and follow Jesus, we strive to create and share content filtered by the Head-Heart-Hands model.

Head: the knowledge of God and His Word | Heart: the personal connection from scripture | Hands: a missional mindset 

Head

Ephesians Chapter 5 is all about how to live a life that pleases God. The apostle Paul talks about imitating God by showing love and kindness, just as Jesus did. He reminds us to stay away from things that are not good and instead fill our lives with goodness, love, and thankfulness. Paul also talks about the importance of treating others with respect and how marriage is a special relationship where both people love and support each other.

Heart

As we read Ephesians Chapter 5, our hearts should feel encouraged to live in a way that brings joy to God. It's like having a loving Father who guides us to make good choices. Paul's words remind us that we are children of light, and this should inspire us to be kind, thankful, and caring to everyone around us. Just like Jesus, we can show love in all we do. This chapter teaches us about how our relationships with friends and family should be filled with love and respect.  

Hands

We are called to spread love and light everywhere we go. We can do kind things for others, help our families, and share with those in need. If we see someone sad, we can lend a listening ear or be there for a friend. We can choose words that encourage and build up instead of saying things that hurt. In our friendships and families, we can treat each other with respect and love - just like God wants us to. Our hands have the power to make the world a better place by showing God's love in everything we do.

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for guiding us to live in a way that pleases You. Remind us how much You love us. Help us as we desire to spread love and bring glory to Your great name! Work in our hearts; change us from the inside out. We love You! In Jesus' name, Amen.