Day 1: Goals, God, and the Gift of Family
Scripture:
“Where there is no vision, the people perish…” — Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)
Devotion:
What do you want for your family? For your children? For your marriage? Too often, we drift relationally, assuming love will steer us right. But even love needs a compass. The question isn’t just, Do I love them? It’s Where are we going—and does God want us to get there?
In parenting and marriage, we must pause and ask, Are my goals aligned with God’s goals? Without direction, even good intentions lose their way. God’s desire is reconciliation—first to Him, then to each other. This means everything we do should point back to Christ: how we speak, how we discipline, how we love.
While I was still a young parent, I met a guest at Emmanuel and spoke with him only briefly before the service. I never saw him again, but what he said to me stayed with me all these years. He said something along the lines of it doesn’t have to be MY way all the time concerning my kids. That is good leadership. You are not creating carbon copies of yourself; you are hopefully leading your kids, who will later become adults who will follow Jesus. We should be raising our children to be independent and also respectful to the Lord and godly authority.
Workout:
Write down three relational goals—one for your marriage (or future marriage), one for parenting (or mentoring), and one for a friend or family member. Then write beside each one: “Does this reflect God’s heart?” Adjust as needed.
Day 2: Relating Well—You Are Being Read
Scripture:
“You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men.” — 2 Corinthians 3:2
Devotion:
Relationships are not built in grand gestures but in daily pages. Your life is a letter—written not with ink, but by the Spirit. And your children are reading you.
They’re not just watching your church attendance; they’re watching your temper, your tone, your tenderness. Do they see Jesus in your apology? In how you handle stress? In how you ask for forgiveness?
One of my AWANA training leaders once said, “You may be the only Jesus some of these kids will ever see.” That hit me hard. Some of those Sparks couldn’t even read, but they were reading me.
You’re being read. Make sure the story points to Jesus.
Workout:
Take a few minutes to reflect: What does your “letter” say in your home? What tone are you writing in? What chapter are you living today? Ask God to highlight one area to rewrite with grace.
Day 3: Home is Your First Ministry
Scripture:
“God… has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.” — 2 Corinthians 5:18
Devotion:
Your kids are not automatically Christians just because you are. Reconciliation isn’t inherited—it’s introduced, modeled, and offered again and again. You are a minister of reconciliation, and your first mission is your home.
Gospel parenting means we’re not just behavior managers; we’re disciple-makers. It’s not about raising good kids. It’s about introducing them to a great Savior.
I’ll never forget the time I lost it with Nate. I said something sharp—words that exploded out of me and left shrapnel in his spirit. I could see the anger and hurt in his eyes. The Lord convicted me quickly and sharply. I pulled him aside into the sanctuary and confessed, “Son, I was wrong.” I asked for his forgiveness. That moment didn’t make me a perfect dad, but it made the gospel real. We then took time to recognize the spiritual battle that was being waged against us and found victory in Jesus.
Workout:
Have a real, gospel-saturated conversation with your child (or someone you’re discipling). Don’t just correct behavior—introduce the Savior. Be vulnerable. Be real. Let them see reconciliation in action.
Day 4: Don’t Sacrifice Them on the Altar of Ministry
Scripture:
“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” — 2 Corinthians 5:21
Devotion:
God didn’t ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac because He wanted Isaac dead. He wanted Abraham’s faith.
When Abraham placed Isaac on that altar, when he lifted his knife to slay his promised son, he did so with the promise that God would make of Isaac a great nation and bless the world through him. He raised the knife KNOWING that God would raise his son.
As parents, we have no such promise. Our children may be great in the Kingdom of God, some may lead many to know Jesus but God hasn’t promised that our children would be the children of promise and so when we put them on the altar of ministry, when we lose their hearts, we have no promise that they will be raised again.
Worse still, many of us lay our children on modern-day altars—busyness, ambition. We sacrifice our children to the god of sport and school, somehow thinking that God can come later. That’s not God’s will.
We need to recognize the responsibility we have to raise our children to follow Jesus, not by sacrificing them on the altar of ministry, nor sacrificing them to our false gods either.
Workout:
Ask yourself: “What altar am I tempted to lay my child on?” Time? Performance? Image? Confess it, then recommit to putting God first—and your family right after.
Day 5: The Gift They Can’t Earn
Scripture:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” — John 3:16
“We are ambassadors for Christ… be reconciled to God.” — 2 Corinthians 5:20
Devotion:
Every Christmas, I would use gifts as a visual to teach my kids about salvation. I explained to them that a gift cannot be earned, but it must be received. I taught them that we don’t give them these gifts because they are good, but because we love them no matter what. Then I would pivot to explain that God loves them too, even though they can be naughty and disobedient. One of the greatest blessings of my life was when my daughter accepted Jesus one Christmas morning.
God didn’t wait for us to behave. He gave Jesus while we were still sinners.
As parents, and as people, He calls us to represent that kind of love in our homes.
You are an ambassador of heaven. You carry the message of reconciliation—not just on Sundays, but over breakfast, at bedtime, in discipline, and in delight.
Workout:
Take something physical—a gift, a cross, a piece of bread—and use it to tell the gospel to someone you love. Make the gift of Christ real today, not just a story, but their story.