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Be a Godly Friend

Jan 28, 2025

Many Christians have wondered at one point or another how to be a godly friend. What does it really mean? Books have been written about the subject. Seminars have been taught. Sermons have been preached. Lessons have been written. I suppose this is not that much different. I created this mini-study after reading a passage in the Bible that opened my mind to this principle. Maybe at some point, I’ll further flesh out the idea. Until then though, let’s take a look at some scripture.

29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Luke 10:27-39

Let’s quickly identify the 5 characters we see in this story. This is a Bible hack that really allows you to connect with the text. You can take the characters and the setting to see different angles in the same story. It’s pretty awesome! So… who are our five characters?

The Thieves
The Man who got robbed
The Priest
The Levite
The Samaritan

Now, let’s first see how these different characters were perceived externally.

The Thieves

These were some men who wanted something for nothing. They were evil and wicked. They didn’t want to work for something, so they decided to hurt another man and take his. They saw this traveler walking alone down the road, so they decided to beat him and rob him.

The Man who got robbed

This is an unnamed man who was just going about his day. He very well may have been a Jewish man, as he was going between the two Jewish cities of Jerusalem and Jericho. He may have even been somewhat wealthy, as the robbers sized him up and evidently saw something that looked valuable to them. It was just another day until he got walloped over the head and robbed. They took everything that was valuable to him. They hurt him enough to the point where he couldn’t move by themselves. They left him for dead. He laid out there in the sun on the side of the road. See the picture in your mind. He was probably caked in dirt from where the robbers had wrestled him to the ground. There was probably blood all over him from where they’d beat him up. He smelled nasty after baking in his sweat, blood, and the dust. He was all bruised up. His hair and clothes ripped and torn.

The Priest

He was the spiritual know-it-all. The “pastor” of this Jewish time period. He was the one who was supposed to be the most righteous and holy. This fella probably conducted offerings and taught in the temple.

The Levite

He was a temple worker. In today’s terms, he would’ve probably been an elder, deacon, Sunday School teacher, choir director, etc. He knew his way around God’s house. He’d been in church all his file. He was a bit different from a priest (because he wasn’t of the line of Aaron most likely), but he still probably helped prepare offerings, clean the church, etc.

The Samaritan

He was a half-breed, half Jew and half Gentile. The Jews saw his kind as filth and trash. He was disdained. In Jewish culture, he was seen as dirty. Jews didn’t even step foot in Samaritan towns. They’d intentionally add longer journeys to go AROUND Samaritan villages. Needless to say, this man may have never even had a Jew talk to him.

That’s quite a cast of characters! We can probably make some assumptions based on what we already know about them from how they look on the outside. But, I feel it’s important to note, we need to also consider their inward hearts.

Why is that so important Sam?

7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7

We need to get in the habit of looking at people the way that the Lord looks at them. It’s perfectly fine to take note of how people behave and look on the outside. Oftentimes, it indeed is an indication of what’s going on on the inside. Still, we must be careful that we separate the inward and the outward before making a final judgement, so let’s do that here with our characters. Rather than write it all out this time, I’m just going to bullet point some of the thoughts that came to my mind as I thought about what the contents of each of these characters’ hearts contained.

The Thieves

Laziness
Entitlement
Immorality
Greediness
Violence

The Man who got robbed

Hurt
Sorrow

The Priest

Pride
Arrogance
Uncomfortableness
Rushed perhaps?

The Levite

SAME AS PRIEST

The Samaritan

Huble
Loving
Caring
Indiscriminate
Giving

What do you see here?

Well, we got some of them pinned right. The thieves looked like some bad dudes on the outside, and they turned out to have some bad traits on the inside.

However, the descriptions of the external doesn’t match the description on the internal for our other characters, does it?

When God looked on each of these people, what do you think he paid more attention to? That’s right. What was going on on the inside.

So Sam… what’s the application for me?

It’s very simple. Which one of these characters are you?

Can I tell you that you come in contact with robbed people almost every single day? There are people who get robbed. Every. Single. Day. And I’m not just talking about being physically assaulted and such.

There are those who are walking down the road of life, much like how that man was walking down the road to Jericho, when they are accosted by life’s circumstances, and then they are robbed of their health, their joy, their compassion, their identity, and a multitude of other things.

A divorce can rob a child of a home. A teen pregnancy can rob a young adult of an education. An alcohol or drug addiction can rob a child of their parent, or a spouse of their spouse. Bad friendships, money problems, ego, family drama, etc. SO MANY THINGS can rob people. These same people are the ones who are hurting and beaten.

For whatever the reason, God, in His divine and limitless wisdom, has placed them in your path and chosen you to be their good Samaritan.

The question is… are you up to the task?

Are you up to the task, regardless of who that hurting person is? Remember… there’s a very good chance that the man who was robbed that day was a Jew. After all, he was going between two very prominent Jewish towns. It’s very possible that if the roles had been reversed, and the Samaritan was the one who’d gotten robbed, the Jewish man would’ve never batted an eye. He would’ve ignored and avoided the dirty, unclean Samaritan.

Are you willing to a good Samaritan to someone who wouldn’t be one to you? Are you willing to be a friend to someone who normally wouldn’t be a friend to you? What does that look like?

Look closely at the text in verse 33. What does it say this Samaritan did? He showed compassion on the man. What do the next two verses say though?

Verse 34 says that he went to him and bound up his wounds. Compassion isn’t just something you say, it’s something that you do. The Samaritan physically got involved. He got in the blood and dirt and helped the man with his own two hands. He walked by his beast (probably a donkey) all the way to Jericho so that the injured man could ride. He pulled money out of his wallet to give the man a place to stay.

Are you willing to do for others to be a good friend, or do you just talk the talk?

If God places them into your path, whether it be at work or school or within your family, are you willing to be a friend? Even if it’s uncomfortable? Even if you have to sacrifice something?

Lastly, we see in verse 36 that the Samaritan didn’t just leave the man after he got him to safety. He said, “when I return again”. The Samaritan was following up. Good neighbors and good friends follow up. They check up on each other. They encourage each other. It’s not enough for us to just say “that’s my friend” if we never talk to them after the initial interaction. You have to be involved continually.

Yesterday, I received a call from one of my friends that I made as a summer camp counselor at the Wilds in college. We hadn’t talked in a hot minute. Probably 6 months. He was in town on a business trip. On a whim, we met up and got burgers that night. Spent some time catching up and fellowshipping. It reminded me of the importance of keeping those relationships maintained. Good friends can offer the best encouragement when you’re going through your lowest moments. It’s worth the investment of time and energy.

Think about this week what you can do to be a friend like the good Samaritan. Has God placed those people in your path? If He has, reach out to them follow up.

If you can’t think of any opportunities you currently have in your life to be a good Samaritan and a good friend, begin praying that God would give you the opportunity to do so.

God can do wonderous and amazing things to those who have a willing heart that is centered on Him.

This article originally appeared on Fill in the Gap.

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Spiritual Journal: 50+ Frameworks to Deepen Your Walk with God

Jan 23, 2025

Most Christians know they should journal. Few actually do it consistently.

The blank page feels intimidating. You sit down, pen in hand, and think: “What am I supposed to write?” So you jot down a few sentences about your day, close the notebook, and forget about it for another month.

I’ve been there. After testing dozens of journaling apps and methods, I built the Spiritual Journal feature in Scriptured to solve the three problems that kill most journaling habits:

Not knowing what to write (fixed with 50+ guided frameworks)
Writing the same surface-level thoughts (fixed with AI-powered follow-up questions)
Missing the spiritual dimension (fixed with Scripture comfort and pastoral insights)

What Makes This Different from Regular Journaling Apps

50+ Guided Frameworks (Including 20 Christian-Specific Templates)

Instead of staring at a blank page, you choose a framework that matches your current need:

For Daily Reflection:

Morning Pages (stream-of-consciousness)
Evening Reflection (what went well, what to improve)
Daily Examen (Ignatian spirituality)
Gratitude to God

For Spiritual Growth:

Fruit of the Spirit Audit
Armor of God Reflection
Beatitudes Self-Check
Sin Confession & Repentance
Lectio Divina Journal

For Decision Making:

First Principles Thinking
Regret Minimization Framework
Pros/Cons with Scripture Wisdom
Calling & Purpose Discovery

For Processing Emotions:

Anxiety Dump
Anger Release
Forgiveness Process (Biblical Model)
Suffering & Trials Processing
Psalm of Lament Writing

Each framework walks you through specific prompts. The Fruit of the Spirit Audit, for example, asks you to rate yourself on each fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) and reflect on where you’re growing and where you’re struggling.

Emotion Tracking That Actually Helps

We use Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions—the same framework psychologists use—to help you identify and track your emotional state over time.

Here’s why this matters for spiritual growth:

When you can see that you’ve felt “anxious” in 12 of your last 20 entries, that’s a signal. Maybe you need to meditate more on Philippians 4:6-7. Maybe there’s a pattern you haven’t noticed. Maybe God is inviting you into deeper trust.

The journal tracks these patterns automatically and shows you trends over weeks and months.

Scripture Comfort When You Need It Most

This is where Scriptured’s journal stands apart from every secular journaling app.

When you write about grief, the journal suggests Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

When you express anxiety, it offers Matthew 6:34: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.”

When you confess sin, it points to 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

This isn’t random verse-matching. The system reads the context of your entry and selects passages that speak to your specific situation—comfort when you need comfort, encouragement when you need encouragement, and yes, gentle correction when your writing reveals attitudes that Scripture addresses.

Go Deeper: Follow-Up Questions

After you finish an entry, the journal can generate context-aware follow-up questions based on what you wrote.

Write about frustration with a coworker? You might see: “What would it look like to respond with grace in this situation? What does Jesus’s teaching on loving your enemies mean for how you interact with this person tomorrow?”

Write about a decision you’re facing? You might see: “What counsel would a wise mentor give you here? What biblical principles apply to this choice?”

These questions push past surface-level journaling into the kind of reflection that actually changes how you think and act.

The Rich Text Editor You’ll Actually Enjoy Using

Let’s talk about the writing experience itself.

The journal uses a modern editor with:

Slash commands - Type / to insert headers, lists, quotes, Scripture references, or switch frameworks mid-entry
Focus mode - Hides everything except your writing for distraction-free reflection
Auto-save - Never lose your thoughts
Tagging - Create custom tags like “prayer requests,” “answered prayers,” “insights,” or “struggles”
Full-text search - Find any entry instantly by searching for keywords, tags, or date ranges

It feels like writing in Notion, but built specifically for spiritual reflection.

Import Your Handwritten Journals

Here’s a feature I’m particularly excited about: OCR import.

If you have years of handwritten journals sitting in notebooks—I had seven of them—you can photograph those pages and import them into Scriptured. The system reads your handwriting, converts it to text, and makes it searchable alongside your digital entries.

Your entire journaling history, finally in one place. Finally searchable. Finally able to show you patterns across years of spiritual growth.

Export Your Way

Your journal entries belong to you. Export them anytime as:

PDF - Beautiful formatted documents for printing or archiving
Word (.docx) - For editing or sharing with a counselor or mentor
Markdown - For backup or use in other apps

No lock-in. No subscription required to access your own words.

Who This Is For

The Spiritual Journal works for anyone who wants to grow deeper in faith through reflective writing:

New believers learning to process life through a biblical lens
Mature Christians seeking structured frameworks for deeper reflection
Those walking through hard seasons who need Scripture comfort and guidance
Small group leaders looking for devotional journaling tools to recommend
Parents wanting to model and teach spiritual journaling to their families

Free vs. Pro

Free users get:

Unlimited journal entries
10 basic frameworks
Manual tagging and organization
Full-text search
Export capabilities

Pro users unlock:

All 50+ frameworks (including Christian-specific ones)
Emotion tracking and pattern analysis
Scripture comfort and spiritual counseling
Go Deeper follow-up questions
OCR import for handwritten journals
Personality insights over time

Start Writing Today

The Spiritual Journal is available now in Scriptured.

If you’ve tried and failed to build a journaling habit before, try this: Open Scriptured, go to Journal, pick the “Gratitude to God” framework, and spend five minutes listing three things you’re thankful for and why.

That’s it. Five minutes. One framework. See how it feels to journal with guidance instead of staring at a blank page.

Start Your Spiritual Journal →

Questions? Check out our FAQ or reach out through the app. I read every message.

Faith in the Boat and Out

Jan 19, 2025

Ya’ll ever wonder about what it takes to build your faith? Like… when someone prays, “God, increase my faith.”, what exactly does that entail? I got to reading in my Bible about the story of Peter stepping out the boat that other day, and the Lord brought some thoughts to my mind.

I don’t have any funny anecdotes to start this one off with so I think we’re just going to jump into it, straight into Scripture. As always, I’d encourage you to pull out your physical Bibles if you can and do some markup, but, if you’re not in a position where you can do that, we’re going to have all the Scripture laid out right here. Full Disclosure though… I have written this as a copy for an upcoming sermon I’m going to be giving, so if you read any references regarding “this morning”, “folks who are here today”, etc. just know that is why. Without any further ado, let’s hop into Matthew 14:22-23.

22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

Matthew 14:22-23

In the margin on that passage of Scripture in Matthew, if you are one to mark in your Bible, I’d like you to write the verse references for the two other accounts of this story. They are in Mark 6:45–53 and John 6:10-21. For the sake of time, we aren’t going to read those. However, if you were to take the time to, (and I would highly encourage you to do so), you’d get a more full picture of the events that transpired.

SIDE NOTE: Whenever you are reading any of the Gospels it’s a good idea to check if there are parallels in the other 3 books, as it often gives you a new perspective.

I’ll briefly summarize this passage for you here, taking into consideration the other accounts of this story in the Bible…

The Full Story

(John) Jesus feeds the 5000. Takes up 12 baskets of leftovers. The people want to make him a king.
(All three accounts) Jesus tells the disciples to go on ahead by boat while he disperses the people.
(All three accounts) Jesus departs to a nearby mountain to pray, alone.
(All three accounts) The disciples depart as Jesus tells them to and begin rowing across the sea of Galilee. The wind picks up and becomes scary.
(John) It gets dark. Jesus has not come to them.
(Mark) From his place on the mountain, Jesus sees them working hard trying to row this boat in the sea of Galilee with all the wind.
- SIDE NOTE: It’s nighttime, how does Jesus see them from all the way up on that mountain?
(John) The disciples keep rowing for 25-30 furlongs, having no idea where Jesus is, and not knowing that Jesus has already seen them from the mountain.
- SIDE NOTE: A furlong is 1/8th of a mile. So they’ve rowed 3.1-3.75 miles in this nasty weather. I don’t know if you’ve ever used a rowing machine at the gym before, or been out in a boat. But just imagine doing that at max resistance for over 3 miles!
(Matthew, Mark) 4th watch of the night (3:00 AM - 6:00 AM) comes and Jesus comes walking on the sea.
- SIDE NOTE: The disciples are still rowing at 3:00 AM in that bad weather! They’re TIRED. Remember, the previous day they helped Jesus feed the 5000. They still haven’t had any sleep!
- ANOTHER SIDE NOTE: Mark 6:48 says Jesus “would have passed by them”. What does that mean?
  - This doesn’t mean that he was going to ignore the disciples. It’s the same thing that God did to Moses in Exodus 33:22 and 34:6. God passed by before Moses, hiding him in the cleft of the rock, to show His power. Jesus was showing that he had power over the waves.
(All accounts) The disciples become troubled and afraid, believing Jesus to be a spirit. Jesus tells them to not be afraid.
(Matthew) Peter asks Jesus if he can come to Jesus, walking on the water. Jesus says yes and Peter steps out of the boat and begins walking toward Jesus.
(Matthew) Seeing the scary wind and waves, Peter becomes afraid. Begins sinking. Cries for Jesus to save him.
(Matthew) Jesus stretches out his hand and catches Peter to keep him from drowning.
- SIDE NOTE: Did Jesus drag Peter through the water back to the boat?
- ANOTHER SIDE NOTE: Did he pick Peter up and carry him back?
- LAST SIDE NOTE: Did Peter walk with him hand-in-hand?
(All accounts) They come into the ship and the wind immediately ceases.
(John)The boat miraculously gets to the other side of the sea of Galilee

So now that we have the full summary of events that happened that night, let’s dive into some application…

We know that it is the 4th watch of the night, so the disciples have been in the boat for hours at this point. They have no idea where Jesus is. The last thing he told them was to go on ahead. As the day has gone on the wind begins to get worse and worse. The waves begin to get rockier. Up and down. Huge swells. The Bible doesn’t say so we don’t know if it was storming with rain, although this is often depicted when people imagine the story. We’ve all been around here at the coast, so we know what bad weather looks like, rain or not. It was not a good time to be out in the boat.

I wonder what the disciples were thinking. After all, Jesus was the one who told them to get out of that boat. They knew by this point in time that Jesus had supernatural powers. He could perform miracles. He healed the sick, he made the lame to walk and the dumb to speak. Surely he knew the future, for he prophesied often of it. So if he really knew the future, why would he have sent his disciples out into the water on such a dangerous night?

Pretty soon the sky was black. Maybe the stars were out. Water was pouring over the side of the boat as each wave crashed. The disciples were panicking. The water was so turbulent, the boat was rocking so hard, I imagine they were probably having trouble standing. Maybe even walking. They could hardly see. Where was Jesus? Had he led them wrong? Did he not care?

1st point of Application

Can you think of a time in your life when the Lord sent you out ahead of him in the boat? Can you think of a time in your life when God told you to do something, and then it seems like he left you?

I imagine at this point in time the disciples probably feel a little betrayed. Jesus, the all-powerful all-knowing Savior, sending them out into a boat in the middle of the night, knowing that there was going to be bad weather. They probably thought they were going to die. I imagine some of them were thinking about when Jesus calmed the waves and stilled the storm in Matthew 8:23-27. You have to flip BACK A FEW PAGES in your Bible to get to that. You see… This wasn’t the first time the disciples had been out in some scary water.

23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.

24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.

26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

Matthew 8:23-27

Who was right there in the boat with the disciples during that storm? JESUS.

During that storm, he’d been right there with them physically. But in this storm, they were by themselves. It was bad enough when there was a storm in Jesus was there, now there was a storm in Jesus wasn’t there!

There are going to be times in your life when you feel like there is a storm going on, but you can feel the presence of Jesus. It’s a beautiful thing when you can feel the presence of Jesus in your life working in your circumstances, when you can feel his hand on you guiding you even in a bad situation.

However there are also times in your life when you will be going through a trial or a tribulation or a problem and you will feel like you are apart from God. You will feel like God is nowhere to be found. You will feel like God isn’t listening to you. You may even blame God for putting you in a storm. You don’t feel like he’s listening or caring about you.

There’s two different reasons you may not feel this closeness with the Lord.

You don’t have that relationship with your heavenly Father.
You have that relationship, BUT there’s something that God wants to show you about your next step in faith with Him.

Let’s camp out here for a minute and look at these two different angles. Let’s assume that you’ve come here today and you know that you don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

You say, “Sam, I feel like I’m going through a storm in my life, and I know that I don’t have a relationship with Jesus. He isn’t my Lord. I haven’t given my life to Him.”

Do you know that the Bible has an account of people just like you, going through the EXACT SAME SITUATION?

4 But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.

6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

Jonah 1:4-7

These men, who didn’t believe in God and didn’t have that relationship found themselves in the midst of a storm. Literally.

These men, when the storm came, did not look to God to calm the storm. What does it say they did in verse 5?

First they started throwing off baggage, trying to make the boat lighter. They threw off wares and boxes and stuff. It was like the Boston Tea Party, but Biblical. They were dumping stuff.

People do that sometimes don’t they? People realize they have a problem and they start dumping things.

They put on too much weight so they clear out their junk food from the pantry.
They get in a bad fight with their partner and they dump them.
Classes get too hard so you drop the major or drop the course.
You and your friend fall out and now the relationship is in the trash.
I know people who’ve trashed vapes, burned their cigarettes, and poured alcohol down the drain.

Now, don’t get me wrong, sometimes it’s good to remove some things.

It’s good to remove bad influences.
It’s good to remove bad behaviors.
It’s good to remove bad friends.
It’s good to remove bad TV, music, and other media
It’s good to remove bad substances.

Just know that dumping things from your life isn’t going to solve the problem.

Now… these men didn’t just dump stuff off the boat. What else did they do? They got religious.

You know what else won’t solve the storm you’re in in your life? Getting religious.

Let’s look at verse 5 again…. It says every man cried to his god. Why do you think that they did this?

They were just trying to get out of a jam. They weren’t looking to have a relationship with the Lord. Life got hard and difficult and they started looking for something spiritual. Be on guard against this, for people do the same thing today.

Often, when tragedy strikes or things get bad, people turn to God for a brief time. After 9/11, church attendance spiked 25%. But it didn’t stick. And its partially because people don’t get it.

The Lord isn’t just someone you call on when you need to get out of a bad spot. He’s not a get-out-of-jail-free card. He’s God.

Many people today either treat the Lord like he’s a doctor or a sugar daddy. They come to Him when they’re hurt or they try to use Him when they want something. This is wrong.

Your relationship with him should go deeper.
Your relationship with God should be a real thing you participate in daily.

It’s not a once-a-week-on-Sunday relationship. It’s not a transactional trade thing where you say “Hey God you do this for me and I’ll do this for you. Scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” No!

I like to think about my walk with Christ as a conversation that never stops. At any point in the day, I can spend time with Jesus. I don’t have to be wearing my nice clothes or have my Bible open on the table in front of me, or be sitting in a church somewhere. My relationship with God is with me during the good times and the bad times.

Some mornings, I’ll be driving to work, and I’ll imagine Him sitting right there in the passenger seat, and we’ll talk. Out loud. I’ll work through a problem with him, and he’ll bring scripture to my mind to comfort me. I’ll praise him for the work he’s doing in my life. I’ll ask for opportunities to serve and to witness. He always places those opportunities in my path when I ask. It’s a relationship that goes both ways.

And yes, I do call out to him when I’m hurting. I call out to Him when I feel I have a need to be met. But those aren’t the only interactions that I have with my Lord. And they shouldn’t be your only interactions with Him if you’re a child of God.

2nd point of Application

But… for the sake of the argument, let’s say you don’t know Christ. You don’t have that relationship. You’re not feeling that closeness to the Lord, so you decide you’re going to run the same play that those men on the boat with Jonah did. You’re going to rip a page from the same playbook and start dumping things from your life and/or getting religious. What happens?

The Bible tells us in Luke 11:24-27

24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.

25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.

26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.

Luke 11:24-27

What is the Bible talking about here? There’s a few different ways to look at it, but today I want you to consider the principle of removing without replacing. Let’s look at the man the Bible mentions above. The man gets right. He removes the bad things from his life, but he doesn’t seek to actively replace them with good things. What happens? Well, eventually he slips back into his bad habits because he doesn’t replace them with good habits. Often, it’s worse than before.

The Pantry Example

Think about your pantry. You open it one day and there’s a bunch of junk food in it. You really like junk food and have developed a habit of eating it. A lot of it. You decide you want to be healthy, so you dump all the junk food in the trash. However, you don’t go out and buy healthy food to replace it with.

Every day, as you normally would, you come home and open your pantry because you’re hungry and you want a snack. However, there’s nothing in the pantry to satisfy your hunger. The pantry is SWEPT CLEAN. Because there’s nothing to eat, the hunger pains remind you of how good all that junk food tasted. You want it more and more as the days go by. Finally, one day a few weeks later, rather than stare dejectedly at your empty pantry, you break and decide to go buy some junk food. After not having it for a while, and craving it every day, you go overboard. You buy Twinkies, Reese’s, muffin tops, oatmeal creme pies, brownies, and everything else. You pig out, then you realize you ended up with more junk food in your pantry than you started with!

This is how those who don’t trust in God live their lives. They come under conviction, or God sends a circumstance their way to get them to see the need for Him, and they decide to start removing things. They know they need to drop bad habits, or friends, or whatever else, but it doesn’t stick. Why? Because they’re not replacing them with good things.

Let’s say you have some bad friends. They influence you wrong. They get you into trouble. So one day you decide to get rid of them. Now you’re alone. The weekend rolls around and you don’t have anybody to talk to or hang out with. It’s fine for a while, but eventually, you get sad and depressed because you crave friendship. You haven’t replaced the bad with something good.

If you took the time you spent with those friends and replaced it with time spent growing your relationship with the Lord (something good), you’d be in a better spot.

If you took the time you spent with those friends and replaced it with praying for good friends for the Lord to put in your path, or good hobbies that could improve your life or the lives of others, you’d be in a better spot.

When you seek to clean up and remove the bad parts of your life, you should always be looking to Jesus for the alternative of what to fill those parts with.

Me.

The Other Angle and The Other Side

Now… let’s go WAYYYY back and examine that other angle. Let’s say you’re not like the heathen in the boat with Jonah. You’re not dumping a bunch of bad things out of your life. You’re not faking your spiritual walk. What is the other reason that you might not feel that closeness to the Lord?

Maybe you have a solid relationship with God, but there is something God is wanting to show you about your next step in faith with Him.

This is where the disciples were that night when they were out in the boat, apart from Jesus, in that storm. Those men all knew Jesus on a personal level. They all sought to follow him. They all had that relationship, yet they found themselves apart from God in tough situation.

The Bible says in Matthew 14:25 that Jesus came to them during the 4th watch of the night.

Sam… what time was the 4th watch of the night again???

The fourth watch of the night would have been 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. I imagine that by this point, they’ve been battling the wind and waves in the darkness for a while, right? They hadn’t had any sleep. They’d been rowing for hours. Are you in a place like that in your life right now, where it’s dark and you can’t seem to keep your footing and you feel removed from God?

Many times, when people get to places like that in their lives, they think it must be because they’ve done something wrong or God is punishing them. Sometimes God indeed uses trials in our lives to correct us, but sometimes you’ve REALLY DONE NOTHING WRONG.

The disciples here are one example of this scenario, let’s quickly examine another. You don’t have to turn there, but let me quickly read to you John 11:3-4

3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

John 11:3-4

This is an account in the Bible of one of Jesus’s friends, Lazarus. Lazarus became ill. Mary and Martha, Lazarus’s sisters, sent to Jesus to tell him, and Lazarus died before Jesus came.

Do you think Lazarus wanted to be ill? Do you think he liked being sick? He became so sick that he literally died! If we skip down a couple of verses to John 11:14 we can see that Jesus confirms this.

14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

John 11:14

Skip down a couple more verses an we see he stays dead for 4 days!

17 Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.

John 11:17

What did Lazarus do to deserve that? He followed Jesus. He loved Jesus. And Jesus loved him.

3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

John 11:3

Seems like Lazarus got dealt a bad hand, doesn’t it? The key to this question lies in what Jesus meant when he said “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God”

That meant Lazarus’s trial wasn’t going to end in the tragedy of painful death. It was going to end with a victory in Christ. Good was going to be glorified by the events that were happening in Lazarus’s life. We can assuredly say, based on the Scripture we just read, that Lazarus went through all of that so that God could be glorified. It was not a form of punishment for some evil he had done.

We may not know how long Lazarus went through his trial, but we do know how long the disciples in that boat went through theirs. Till sometime between 3-6 AM.

What does the Bible say happened during that time? Jesus was watching them from his place on the mountain, and then he finally came to them, walking on the water.

This is what Jesus does for us too. If you’re a child of His, he’s never removed from your life. He’s watching over you, just as he was His disciples. When he wasn’t walking to them in the storm, He was watching over them from the mountain.

So yeah… there can be times in your life when you’re tired and it’s dark and there’s a storm going on and you WANT Jesus to perform a miracle like he did walking on the water. But, if he doesn’t, don’t think that he’s forgotten about you. He may just be watching you for a time.

There’s no way for me to prove it, but part of me wonders if he was watching the disciples to see if they’d turn back. Remember, right before they parted and the disciples got into the boat and Jesus went to the mountain He told them to do what?

He told them to go to the other side.

I wonder if Jesus wanted to see if they’d stick it out when He wasn’t there. If they’d keep on obeying even when it was rough and hard and they didn’t see Him.

God does that to us today. There are times when God is silent. Not because He hates you. Not because he doesn’t care, but because He wants to see if you have the faith to obey.

Ask yourself, “Do I have the faith to obey even when it’s hard? Even when I don’t feel like Jesus sees me or cares?” If you do have the faith, you’ll continue rowing. You won’t give up on God when you feel like he’s given up on you. And, rest assured, if you carry on, He’ll eventually come and start walking on your ocean.

Now… back to the…..

He wasn’t just walking on some calm pond y’all. Get the picture set in your mind. Remember, that boat was getting tossed all around. The wind was whipping. In my head, I see his cloak flying behind him, like a streamer in the wind as he walks towards the boat. The waves are rising up to crashing down on him, but they break around him as if some force field is in place

The disciples are terrified. He looks like a ghost or something on the ocean. He calls out to them. They recognize his voice. ITS JESUS!

It is here where the account of Matthew diverges from the other Gospels.

Peter asks the Lord if he can come out to him on the water! Notice the words he uses in Matthew 14:28

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

Matthew 14:28

He said “if it be thou bid me come”

Many people talk about the faith Peter had when he walked on water, and the faith he lost when he began to sink, but we often overlook a key truth found right there in verse 28.

Faith must be an inward thing before it becomes an outward thing.

Me.

I believe Peter asked that question already knowing the answer, and he’d already committed in his heart to stepping out of the boat if Jesus called him to.

In saying “bid me come”, he was really saying, “Lord, if that’s you, I want to be closer to you. Even if it means I have to go through a scary storm. Even if it means I have to do what looks impossible in my eyes. I KNOW YOU’LL MAKE A WAY OF MY DESIRE IS TO BE CLOSER TO YOU.

The faith he needed was already set in place in his heart before he ever stepped out of the boat.

Is your desire today to be closer to Jesus? To walk his path for your life, even if it means you have to do the uncomfortable and impossible?

Can you make a commitment to the Lord to already have the faith in your heart before he calls you to come to Him and step out of the boat?

They had faith when they were in the boat, and Peter had faith when God asked him to step out. Do you have that faith in the Lord today? If not, are you willing to make a commitment to give you that faith, no matter what the consequences are?

This article originally appeared on Fill in the Gap.

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10 Bible Character Comparisons That Reveal Powerful Lessons

Jan 19, 2025

The Bible often teaches through contrast. Two people face similar situations but make different choices. One ends in tragedy, the other in triumph. By comparing these characters side by side, we see patterns we’d miss reading their stories separately.

Character comparison isn’t about declaring winners and losers. It’s about understanding why choices matter—and recognizing ourselves in both the successes and failures.

Quick Comparison Overview

Comparison	Theme	Key Difference
David vs Saul	Leadership	Heart response to sin
Peter vs Judas	Failure	Restoration vs regret
Ruth vs Orpah	Commitment	Cost of following God
Mary vs Martha	Priorities	Being vs doing
David vs Solomon	Finishing well	Start vs end
Moses vs Abraham	Calling	Known vs unknown destination
Elijah vs Jonah	Prophetic pressure	Depression vs resistance
Peter vs Paul	Church leadership	Different paths, same mission
Esau vs Jacob	Birthright	Valuing the eternal
Naomi vs Job	Suffering	Response to loss

David vs Saul: Same Throne, Different Hearts

Both Saul and David were anointed kings over Israel. Both sinned seriously against God. Both were confronted by prophets. Only one is remembered as “a man after God’s own heart.”

The Setup: Saul was Israel’s first king—tall, impressive, chosen by the people. David was a shepherd boy, overlooked by his own family, chosen by God. Both had every advantage as king: power, resources, armies.

The Crisis: Saul disobeyed God’s command to destroy the Amalekites completely. He spared the king and the best livestock, claiming it was to sacrifice to God (1 Samuel 15). Nathan confronted David after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband Uriah (2 Samuel 12).

The Difference:

Saul’s response: “I have sinned… yet honor me now before the elders” (1 Samuel 15:30). He admitted wrongdoing but immediately asked for public honor. His concern was reputation, not repentance.
David’s response: “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13). Then he wrote Psalm 51—a raw confession that became the model prayer of repentance for generations.

Why It Matters: Saul’s sin wasn’t inherently worse than David’s. David committed adultery and murder; Saul kept some livestock he was supposed to destroy. The difference was what came after. Saul made excuses. David broke.

God doesn’t expect perfection. He expects hearts that return when they stray. David’s fall was spectacular, but so was his restoration. Saul’s fall looked minor, but his refusal to genuinely repent was fatal.

Lesson: It’s not whether you fall but how you respond when you do. Excuses harden the heart. Confession opens it to grace.

Peter vs Judas: Both Failed, One Returned

Both Peter and Judas were chosen by Jesus as part of the Twelve. Both traveled with Him for three years. Both betrayed Him in His final hours. Only one became a pillar of the church.

The Setup: Peter declared he would die for Jesus. Judas carried the money bag and had the group’s trust. Both seemed committed.

The Crisis: On the night of Jesus’ arrest, Peter denied knowing Him three times. Judas identified Jesus to the soldiers with a kiss, leading to His arrest.

The Difference:

Peter’s response: “He went out and wept bitterly” (Matthew 26:75). After the resurrection, Jesus sought Peter out and restored him with three affirmations matching his three denials (John 21).
Judas’ response: “He was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver” (Matthew 27:3). Then he hanged himself.

Both felt anguish. Only one sought restoration.

Why It Matters: Remorse and repentance look similar but end differently. Remorse says, “I feel terrible about what I did.” Repentance says, “I’m turning back to the One I wronged.”

Judas felt bad, but he didn’t go to Jesus. He went to the chief priests. He returned the money, but he didn’t return to the Lord. Peter’s shame was just as deep, but he stayed with the disciples. He was still in the upper room after the resurrection. He was available to be restored.

Lesson: Failure doesn’t disqualify you. Refusing restoration does. The difference between Peter and Judas wasn’t the severity of their sin but their willingness to come back.

Ruth vs Orpah: Same Crossroads, Different Choices

Ruth and Orpah were both Moabite women who married Israelite men. Both were widowed. Both loved their mother-in-law Naomi. Only one is remembered in Jesus’ genealogy.

The Setup: Naomi’s husband and two sons died in Moab, leaving her with two foreign daughters-in-law. When she decided to return to Israel, both Ruth and Orpah initially went with her.

The Crisis: On the road to Israel, Naomi urged them to go back to Moab. She had nothing to offer—no other sons for them to marry, no prospects, no security.

The Difference:

Orpah’s response: “Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye” (Ruth 1:14). She returned to Moab, to her family, and to her gods. It was the sensible choice.
Ruth’s response: “Where you go I will go… Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). She left everything familiar for an unknown future with a grieving widow.

Why It Matters: Orpah wasn’t evil. Her choice was reasonable. She weighed the costs, saw no advantage in continuing, and made a practical decision. Scripture doesn’t condemn her.

But Ruth’s choice was extraordinary. She traded the known for the unknown, comfort for commitment, her gods for Israel’s God. She had no guarantee of provision, marriage, or acceptance in Israel.

That faith-fueled risk led her to Boaz, to Bethlehem, and to the lineage of David and ultimately Jesus.

Lesson: Following God often means leaving the familiar. The reasonable choice isn’t always the faithful one. Orpah fades from the story; Ruth shapes redemption history.

Mary vs Martha: Same House, Different Priorities

Mary and Martha of Bethany both loved Jesus. Both welcomed Him into their home. Both grieved when their brother Lazarus died. Jesus loved them both (John 11:5). Yet their approaches to Him were strikingly different.

The Setup: Jesus arrived at their home in Bethany. Mary sat at His feet to listen. Martha busied herself with preparations.

The Crisis: Martha grew frustrated that Mary wasn’t helping. She complained to Jesus: “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?” (Luke 10:40).

The Difference:

Martha’s focus: Getting things done for Jesus. Hospitality, preparation, service.
Mary’s focus: Being with Jesus. Listening, learning, presence.

Jesus’ response was gentle but clear: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion” (Luke 10:41-42).

Why It Matters: Martha wasn’t wrong to serve. Service is good, and Jesus honored it elsewhere. But she had become so consumed with doing things for Jesus that she missed being with Him.

Her busyness led to resentment—of Mary, even of Jesus. “Do you not care…?” she asked. When service becomes the point rather than the relationship, something has gone wrong.

Mary understood that in Jesus’ presence, everything else could wait. And Jesus said her choice “will not be taken away from her.”

Lesson: Activity for God can replace intimacy with God. Both matter, but relationship is foundational. We can be so busy serving Jesus that we forget to sit with Him.

David vs Solomon: Heart vs Wisdom

David was called “a man after God’s own heart.” Solomon was granted wisdom beyond any human before or after. One finished well despite catastrophic failures. The other started well but drifted away.

David’s Arc: Began as an unlikely shepherd, rose to become king, committed terrible sins (Bathsheba, Uriah), was confronted, repented deeply, and ended his life preparing to build God’s temple and passing the kingdom peacefully to Solomon.

Solomon’s Arc: Began with humility (“I am but a little child”), asked for wisdom rather than wealth, built the Temple, accumulated unprecedented riches, married 700 wives and 300 concubines, and “his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God” (1 Kings 11:4).

The Difference: David’s story includes gut-wrenching failure, but also gut-wrenching repentance. Solomon’s story includes stunning success, but gradual drift. David’s psalms of confession reveal a man who knew he needed God. Solomon’s later writings (Ecclesiastes) reveal a man who found “all is vanity” after chasing everything but God.

Lesson: How you start doesn’t determine how you finish. A strong start can’t protect you from a wandering heart. And a dramatic fall doesn’t define you if you return.

Six More Powerful Comparisons

Moses vs Abraham: Known vs Unknown

Abraham was called to leave his homeland without knowing the destination. Moses was called to a destination he knew well—Egypt—with a mission he dreaded. Both obeyed despite uncertainty, but their fears were different. Abraham stepped into the unknown; Moses faced the known and terrifying.

Lesson: God calls some to mysterious futures and others to familiar battlegrounds. Both require faith.

Elijah vs Jonah: Depression vs Resistance

Both prophets struggled with their callings. Elijah ran from Jezebel after his greatest victory and asked to die. Jonah ran from his assignment before it started and was angry when it succeeded. God pursued both—Elijah through gentle whisper, Jonah through violent storm.

Lesson: God doesn’t give up on reluctant prophets. Whether you’ve collapsed after victory or fled before starting, He comes after you.

Peter vs Paul: Different Paths to Leadership

Peter was an uneducated fisherman who walked with Jesus. Paul was a trained Pharisee who persecuted the church. Both were humbled before being used—Peter through denial, Paul through blinding light. Both became foundational leaders despite wildly different backgrounds.

Lesson: God uses diverse people in diverse ways. Neither education nor its absence disqualifies you.

Esau vs Jacob: Valuing the Eternal

Esau traded his birthright for a bowl of stew. Jacob, for all his scheming, desperately wanted the blessing. Esau represents trading long-term significance for short-term satisfaction. Jacob, despite his flaws, valued what mattered.

Lesson: What you sacrifice for reveals what you value. Some trades can’t be undone.

Naomi vs Job: Two Responses to Devastating Loss

Both lost nearly everything—Naomi her husband and sons, Job his children, wealth, and health. Both were honest about their pain. But Naomi saw bitterness as the story’s end (“Call me Mara”); Job held onto hope even while questioning God.

Lesson: Grief is honest, but despair is not the final word. Both expressed anguish; one remained open to restoration.

Gideon vs Samson: Strength and Weakness

Gideon was a fearful farmer who became a mighty warrior through reliance on God. Samson was a strong man who became weak through reliance on himself. Gideon’s weakness became strength; Samson’s strength became weakness.

Lesson: Acknowledged weakness draws God’s power. Unacknowledged strength invites downfall.

How to Do Your Own Character Comparisons

Character comparison is a simple but powerful Bible study method:

1. Choose two characters with a connection. They might share a role (kings, prophets, disciples), face similar situations (temptation, failure, calling), or appear together in the same narrative.

2. List their similarities. What do they have in common? Background, opportunities, challenges?

3. Identify the divergence point. Where did their paths split? What decision or moment separated their outcomes?

4. Trace the consequences. What happened as a result of their choices? How did each story end?

5. Extract the lesson. What does the contrast teach? What would you do in their situation?

6. Apply personally. Which character’s tendencies do you see in yourself? What can you learn from their example—positive or negative?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the Bible include flawed characters?

Scripture doesn’t present sanitized heroes. It shows real people with real failures—and how God works through them anyway. This honesty gives us hope. If David could be restored after adultery and murder, our failures aren’t beyond redemption either.

Is it fair to compare people from different eras?

Character comparisons focus on universal human experiences—obedience, fear, repentance, faith. The specific circumstances differ, but the heart issues are timeless. David and Solomon lived 3,000 years ago, but pride and repentance work the same way today.

What if I see myself in the “bad” character?

That’s exactly the point. Recognizing yourself in Saul’s excuse-making or Jonah’s resistance is the first step toward choosing differently. These comparisons are mirrors, not scorecards.

Can character study replace regular Bible reading?

No—it’s a supplement, not a substitute. Character study works best when you already know the broader biblical narrative. It’s one tool among many for going deeper into Scripture.

How do I avoid simplistic “good vs bad” readings?

Remember that most Bible characters are complex. David was “after God’s heart” and also a murderer. Peter was a foundation of the church and also denied Jesus. The lesson isn’t usually “be good like this person”—it’s “understand how choices lead to consequences.”

Want to compare Bible characters side by side? Use our Bible Character Comparison Tool to explore biographical details, key events, strengths, weaknesses, and lessons from any two biblical figures.

How to Do Family Devotions: A Complete Guide for Busy Parents

Jan 19, 2025

Family devotions are intentional times when parents and children gather to read Scripture, pray together, and discuss faith. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s consistency. A 5-minute devotional done three times a week beats an hour-long session that only happens once a month.

Most families who try devotions quit within a few weeks. The kids squirm, the toddler screams, the teenager rolls their eyes, and parents feel like failures. But the problem usually isn’t the family—it’s the approach. This guide gives you practical strategies that work with real children, not imaginary perfect ones.

Why Most Families Struggle (And How to Fix It)

Three problems kill most family devotion attempts:

1. Too long. Parents envision 30-minute sessions with rapt attention. Reality: young children max out at 5-10 minutes, and teenagers lose interest after 15 unless they’re engaged.

Fix: Start with 5 minutes. You can always add time later. You cannot recover from making devotions feel like punishment.

2. Too formal. Some parents try to recreate Sunday School at home—structured lessons, memory verses, crafts. That works for some families, but most can’t sustain it.

Fix: Devotions can be a conversation during dinner, a prayer at bedtime, or a question in the car. Structure matters less than consistency.

3. Wrong timing. Mornings are chaos. After dinner, everyone scatters. Bedtime is a battle. There’s no good time.

Fix: The best time is the time that happens. Pick the least-worst option and protect it. Many families succeed with meal times because everyone’s already gathered.

Sample Devotional Structures by Time

Duration	Structure	Best For
5 minutes	Read 1 verse, ask 1 question, pray	Busy weeknights, young children, getting started
10 minutes	Read passage, discuss 2-3 questions, each person prays	Most families, sustainable daily practice
15 minutes	Opening question, read passage, discussion, activity or object lesson, prayer	Families with school-age children
20 minutes	Icebreaker, Scripture reading, main teaching point, discussion, memory verse practice, closing prayer	Weekend devotions, families with engaged teens

5-Minute Structure (Minimum Viable Devotion)

This is where most families should start:

Read one verse (30 seconds)
Ask one question (2 minutes)
Everyone prays one sentence (2 minutes)

Example:

Read: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
Ask: “Who’s someone you could be kinder to this week?”
Pray: Each person thanks God for one thing.

That’s it. Five minutes. Done. Repeat tomorrow.

10-Minute Structure (Daily Standard)

Opening question (1 minute): Something related to the theme
Read Scripture (2 minutes): 3-5 verses
Discussion (5 minutes): 2-3 questions
Prayer (2 minutes): Parent leads, kids contribute

15-Minute Structure (With Activity)

Icebreaker (2 minutes): Fun question to get everyone talking
Read Scripture (2 minutes)
Brief teaching (3 minutes): Explain the passage simply
Discussion (4 minutes): 2-3 questions
Activity or object lesson (2 minutes): Something hands-on
Prayer (2 minutes)

20-Minute Structure (Weekend Deep Dive)

Icebreaker game (3 minutes)
Scripture reading (3 minutes): Can be acted out
Main teaching (4 minutes)
Discussion (5 minutes): Deeper questions
Memory verse (3 minutes): Practice together
Prayer time (2 minutes): Structured prayer (praise, thanks, requests)

Age-Appropriate Approaches

What works for a 4-year-old won’t work for a 14-year-old. Here’s how to adjust:

Toddlers (Ages 2-4)

Attention span: 2-5 minutes maximum

What works:

Picture Bibles with colorful illustrations
Action songs with movements
Simple prayers they can repeat
One Bible story, one truth, done

What doesn’t:

Long readings
Abstract concepts
Sitting still expectations

Sample approach:

Look at one picture in a Bible storybook
Ask: “What do you see? Who is that?”
Say: “God loves [child’s name]!”
Sing a short song
Pray: “Thank you, God, for [something child mentioned]”

Key principle: Make it fun and short. They won’t remember the lesson. They’ll remember that Bible time was enjoyable.

Early Elementary (Ages 5-7)

Attention span: 5-10 minutes

What works:

Stories with characters and conflict
Questions with concrete answers
Acting out Bible stories
Simple crafts related to the story
Songs with motions

What doesn’t:

Theological abstractions
Long memory verses
Sitting and listening without participation

Sample approach:

Read a short Bible story (Jesus calms the storm)
Ask: “How do you think the disciples felt? Scared? Safe?”
Ask: “What’s something that scares you?”
Teach: “Jesus is with us when we’re scared too”
Pray: “Jesus, help us remember You’re with us”

Late Elementary (Ages 8-11)

Attention span: 10-15 minutes

What works:

Character studies (heroes and villains of the Bible)
Moral dilemmas and discussions
Memory verse challenges
Application questions: “What would you do?”
Some independence: let them read aloud

What doesn’t:

Treating them like little kids
Overly simplistic lessons
No opportunity for questions

Sample approach:

Read a passage together (take turns reading)
Discuss: What happened? Why did the character do that?
Apply: How does this connect to your life?
Challenge: One thing to try this week
Pray: Let kids pray for each other

Middle School (Ages 12-14)

Attention span: 15-20 minutes (if engaged)

What works:

Current events connected to biblical principles
Questions without obvious answers
Their opinions valued (even when wrong)
Apologetics: Why believe this?
Space to doubt and question

What doesn’t:

Childish approaches
Lecturing
Dismissing their questions
Forced participation

Sample approach:

Start with a real-world scenario or news story
Read relevant Scripture
Discuss: What does the Bible say about this?
Push back: Why is this hard? What are objections?
Apply: How should Christians respond?
Pray: Address real issues they’re facing

High School (Ages 15-18)

Attention span: 20+ minutes if topic is relevant

What works:

Treating them as young adults
Hard questions without easy answers
Their leadership (let them lead sometimes)
Apologetics and worldview discussions
Connection to decisions they’re making

What doesn’t:

Forced attendance
Dumbed-down content
Ignoring their schedules
One-way lecturing

Sample approach:

Ask what they’re wrestling with (relationships, future, ethics)
Search Scripture together for wisdom
Discuss honestly—including your own struggles
Pray for specific situations in their lives

Key principle for teens: Relationship trumps information. A teenager who feels heard will engage. One who feels lectured will check out.

10 Ready-to-Use Family Devotional Ideas

These are complete devotional outlines you can use tonight:

1. The Kindness Challenge (5 minutes)

Scripture: Ephesians 4:32 Question: What’s one way you could show kindness tomorrow? Activity: Each person commits to one specific act of kindness Prayer: Ask God to help each person follow through

2. God’s Creation Walk (10 minutes)

Activity: Walk outside together Scripture: Psalm 19:1 (“The heavens declare the glory of God”) Discussion: What do you see that shows God’s creativity? Prayer: Thank God for specific things you noticed

3. Armor of God (15 minutes)

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18 Activity: Draw or act out each piece of armor Discussion: What’s one piece you need most this week? Application: Pray on that piece each morning

4. Thankfulness Jar (5 minutes daily, review weekly)

Daily: Each person writes one thing they’re thankful for Weekly: Read the week’s thanksgivings together Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Prayer: Thank God for the items read

5. Story Freeze (10 minutes)

Activity: Read a Bible story; kids yell “Freeze!” when something surprises them Discussion: Why was that surprising? What happened next? Scripture: Any narrative passage (David and Goliath, Jonah, Daniel) Prayer: Thank God for surprising us with His faithfulness

6. Prayer Walk Around the House (10 minutes)

Activity: Walk to different rooms In each room: Pray for what happens there (kitchen: meals, provision; bedroom: rest, peace) Scripture: Numbers 6:24-26 (the blessing) Close: Bless the home together

7. Character Study: Ruth (15 minutes)

Scripture: Ruth 1:16-17 Discussion: What did Ruth give up to follow God? Question: What does loyalty look like in our family? Application: How can we be loyal to each other this week? Prayer: For strength to be faithful

8. Parable Reenactment (15 minutes)

Scripture: Choose a parable (Lost Sheep, Prodigal Son, Good Samaritan) Activity: Act it out together; swap roles Discussion: What’s Jesus teaching us? Modern version: How would this story happen today? Prayer: Ask for understanding

9. Highs and Lows (10 minutes)

Ritual: Each person shares their high and low of the day Scripture: Rotate a psalm each night Prayer: Thank God for the highs; ask for help with the lows Best for: Dinner time or bedtime routine

10. Question Box (15 minutes weekly)

Setup: Kids write faith questions during the week, put them in a box Weekly: Pull out a question and discuss it together Approach: Be honest when you don’t know; look it up together Best for: Families with curious kids, especially middle schoolers

How to Keep Kids Engaged

Make It Interactive

Kids learn by doing, not just hearing. Every devotional should include:

Questions they can answer
Actions they can take (acting, drawing, moving)
Choices that involve them
Roles in the process (reading, praying, leading)

Let Them Lead

Starting around age 8, children can:

Read Scripture aloud
Come up with discussion questions
Lead a prayer
Choose next week’s topic

By high school, teenagers can lead the entire devotional. This builds ownership and develops their faith.

Use Physical Objects

Object lessons create memorable teaching moments:

Salt and light (actual salt, candle)
The armor of God (household items as armor)
The vine and branches (actual plant)
Building on rock vs. sand (blocks or sand)

Connect to Their Lives

Abstract theology bores children. But the same truth connected to their experience captivates:

Instead of: “God is sovereign”
Try: “Remember when you were scared about the test? God knew what would happen and was taking care of you”

Embrace the Chaos

Young children will wiggle. Toddlers will interrupt. Teens will sigh. This is normal.

Lower your expectations for perfect attention. Raise your expectations for consistent presence. A wiggly kid who shows up every day for devotions is being formed—even when it doesn’t look like it.

When Family Devotions Feel Like Failure

Some devotions will be disasters. The kids will fight, nobody will pay attention, and you’ll wonder why you bother. This is normal.

Signs of Actual Failure

Devotions become punishment or control
Kids develop negative associations with Scripture
One parent dominates while others check out
It’s been three months since the last attempt

Signs You’re Actually Succeeding

You keep showing up, even imperfectly
Kids occasionally engage or ask questions
Faith language enters normal conversation
Kids know they can bring questions to you

What to Do When It Falls Apart

Take a break. A week off when things aren’t working is better than pushing through with resentment.

Change something. Different time, shorter length, new format.

Ask the kids. “What would make this better?” Their answers might surprise you.

Lower the bar. Going from 15 minutes to 5 is not failure—it’s wisdom.

Remember the goal. You’re not trying to produce theologians. You’re trying to create a home where faith is normal, questions are welcome, and God is part of everyday conversation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best time for family devotions?

The best time is the time that actually happens. Common options:

Dinner time: Everyone’s already gathered
Bedtime: Natural wind-down
Morning: Before school (requires early rising)
Car time: Captive audience on regular drives

Most families find mealtimes work best because they’re already happening daily.

What if my kids resist?

Some resistance is normal. Try:

Shortening the time
Adding interactive elements
Letting them choose topics
Connecting to their interests

If resistance is severe, have an honest conversation. Ask what would help. Sometimes the format needs to change; sometimes there’s an underlying issue.

What if my spouse isn’t on board?

Start with what you can control. You can do devotions one-on-one with willing children. Model consistency without pressuring. Sometimes a resistant spouse comes around after seeing positive effects.

How do I handle kids at different ages?

This is the hardest challenge for families with wide age gaps. Options:

Target the middle: Aim for content that stretches the young and engages the old
Alternate: Some nights for younger kids, some for older
Breakout: Older kids do deeper study after the family time
Assign roles: Older kids help teach younger ones (they learn by teaching)

What curriculum should I use?

Curriculum can help but isn’t required. Options:

Picture Bibles: Good News Bible, Jesus Storybook Bible
Devotional books: Family devotionals by age range
Apps: YouVersion has family reading plans
DIY: Walk through a Gospel chapter by chapter

The best curriculum is the one you’ll actually use. Fancy resources that collect dust are worse than simple consistency.

What if we miss a day (or week, or month)?

Start again. There’s no catching up required. Shame about missed devotions is more damaging than the gap itself.

When you restart, don’t apologize excessively. Just begin: “Let’s read together tonight.”

Start Tonight

Don’t wait for the perfect plan. Tonight:

Gather your family after dinner
Read one verse (try Psalm 23:1)
Ask: “What does it mean that the Lord is our shepherd?”
Pray: “Thank you, God, for taking care of our family”

That’s it. Four steps. Three minutes. You’ve done a family devotional.

Tomorrow, do it again. And the next day. Consistency over perfection. Presence over polish. That’s how faith forms in families.

Need help planning your next family devotional? Use our Family Devotional Builder to create a complete session based on your children’s ages, available time, and chosen theme.

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