October 16 | Jesus and the Disciples

Today’s Reading:

Read Matthew 10:1-14; 14:13-36; Mark 6:7-13, 32-56; Luke 9:1-6,12-17; John 6:1-40

Make a list of 12 of your closest friends. Could you name 12? Imagine doing everything, every day with those 12 friends. Would you get tired of them? Or do you think it would be a lot of fun to always have those 12 people with you?

Jesus chose 12 Disciples to walk alongside Him in His ministry. (Remember the number 12 is special because it was the same number of the tribes of Israel.) Jesus trained them so that He could send them out to reach more people with the news about the Kingdom of God. The Disciples had a firsthand look at all that Jesus was doing. Jesus used them to help meet the needs of the people.

Even though the Disciples saw Jesus perform many miracles, they still were surprised with each new miracle. When the people needed to be fed, the disciples thought they should turn them away. Jesus knew that He would be able to provide food for them. When the disciples had left Jesus to pray, they were surprised to see Jesus walk on the water towards their boat. They had seen Jesus do many miraculous things but still struggled to believe He could do all that He did.

However, the disciples were the first to recognize who Jesus was. Read Matthew 7:32-33.

“When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those in the boat worshiped him and said, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’”

Application/Prayer:

Jesus chose 12 Disciples to walk alongside of Him while He was on the earth. However, now you can be His disciple! Ask God to help you be a disciple that points other people towards Him. Spend some time worshiping Him, the same way that the disciples did.

October Memory Verse:

“When I am afraid, I will trust in you.”

Psalm 56:3

Using the daily reading prompts from George H. Guthrie’s Read the Bible for Life, here’s how to use this devotional:

Bring your Bible! Your kids need to see that everything you are reading to them or learning about comes from an actual Bible!
Each day starts with a reading prompt. Read the selection as a family. If your kids are readers, encourage them to read along with you.
After you’ve read the passage, read the short devotional thought that goes along with each passage.
Prayer and application are important any time we read God’s word! After each devotional, there is a challenge to help apply what your family has read that day.
There is a reading for six days of the week. The last reading of the week is a Gospel Conversation Prompt to help you connect the reading from the week with God’s plan for salvation.