The Mission | the Unfolding Story of God's Redemptive Purpose (Family Devotional)Sample

CONNECT

Take a handful of powder, sand, or seeds and scatter them over a patch of land. Observe how they spread out across the area where you threw them.

In the same way, just as what was once in your hand has now been scattered, God calls us, His people, to go beyond our small circles and spread out into the world. He wants to use us as instruments to share His love with others everywhere.

READ THE WORD

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 1:28

From the beginning, it has always been God’s command for us to fill the earth with His glory—to multiply and to bear children in His image, spreading His presence across creation. But because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, sin entered the world and has been spreading its corruption since day one. Today, instead of spreading God’s glory, we have filled the earth with our mess—sin, greed, violence, selfishness, and more. But God has not left His plan behind.

In Genesis 9:1, He directed Noah to “. . . Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.”

In Genesis 12:3, He told Abraham, “. . . in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

He chose the nation of Israel in Exodus 19:6, to be a “. . . kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

God sent His Son, Jesus, to take back what was broken by sin. Christ’s death and resurrection can stand against what shattered the image of God in us. Today, as an echo to that command from long ago, God calls us, His people, to make disciples of all nations and to fill the earth with people who reflect His glory. Let us continue to walk in the mission God has sent us forth—not just to multiply but to spread His love across the earth.

HUDDLE

Parent/s to Kid/s

2–6 years old

• How can you “fill the earth” with God’s love?
• In what way can you show God’s love at home? At school? To your friends?

7–12 years old

• What is God’s command to His people today?
• How can you be part of God’s mission to make disciples in your family? In school? With your friends?

Kid/s to Parent/s

• How do you make disciples?
• How can our family share God’s love with others?

Through Jesus, God made us whole. He now extends to us the privilege to join Him in His mission to bring His glory to the earth—by sharing His love to others and making disciples wherever He sends us.

PRAY

Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to forgive us, free us from the power of sin, and make us whole again. Thank You for the privilege to partner with You in this work to spread Your love to everyone. Help us to be worshipers who honor only You so we can continue to reflect You to others. In Jesus’ name, amen!