Devos:
Week 1
March 1-7

Read Mark 12:41-44 NIV
"Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” - Mark 12:41-44 NIV
This week in The Big God Story, Jesus was in the temple while people were giving their offerings. Jesus was pleased at the offering of the widow because even though she didn’t have much, she gave everything she had. Why would someone do that? She gave all that she had to God because she was grateful to God. A generous heart begins with a thankful heart posture. God teaches us to be thankful for everything we have because it all comes from Him.
Discuss the questions below as a family. Refer to the Bible passage to help answer.
Discuss
-
What did the widow give as an offering? What did Jesus say about her offering?
-
How do you think the widow felt after she gave her offering?
-
How has God been generous to me? What am I thankful for?
-
How can we have a heart of gratitude like the widow? How can we be generous like God wants us to be?
Week 2
March 8-14

Read Luke 16:10-12 NIV
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?”
In the parable of the shrewd manager, Jesus tells us about a manager who wasted his employer’s money. He knew he would be fired, so he devised a crafty plan. He cut a deal with each of his master’s debtors to ensure he’d get a portion of the money back. He didn’t do this out of love or kindness— he was securing friendships so he’d have connections after being fired. His master commended him for his shrewdness.
Jesus clearly explains the lesson here. “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:9). He tells His disciples and the others who are listening that people who are honest and reliable with the small things will be honest and reliable with big things. God has entrusted all of us with resources in this life. God wants us to be generous with those resources, but in order to have that kind of generosity, our hearts must be trustworthy with the little God has given us.
Discuss the questions below as a family. Refer to the Bible passage to help answer.
Discuss
-
Why does Jesus share The Parable of the Shrewd Manager?
-
What does it mean to be trustworthy?
-
What are some things God has entrusted you with?
-
Who is someone you consider trustworthy?
-
How can you be trustworthy with what God has given you?
Week 3
March 15-21

Read Luke 10:33-37 NIV
“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the inn-keeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Jesus often included stories that surprised the people listening to them. In this parable, the surprise was that the one who helped a half-dead, beaten man on the road was not a priest or a Levite, but a Samaritan. Typically, Jewish and Samaritan people paid careful attention to stay as far away from one another as possible. But in this story, the Samaritan sacrificed time out of his day to care for the injured man. He sacrificed his own resources, a donkey, to take the injured man to the inn. He also sacrificed his money to ensure the injured man had a place to stay at the inn.
For a Samaritan to sacrifice his time, his image, and his resources to help this injured man was unthinkable to a Jewish audience. The Samaritan had a sacrificial heart. In this parable, Jesus’ teaching shows us that anyone can be a good neighbor and sacrifice their time, image, and resources.
Like the priest and the Levite, we can also refuse to sacrifice. We cling to our time, our money, our resources, or our image— but that is not how we were designed. We were created to be like Jesus. We were created to love and to sacrifice what is ours to help others.
Discuss the questions below as a family. Refer to the Bible passage to help answer:
Discuss
-
Who showed generosity in the parable of the Good Samaritan?
-
What did the Good Samaritan sacrifice?
-
How does Jesus model what it means to sacrifice?
-
Has someone ever sacrificed something for you? How did it feel?
-
What are some things you can sacrifice? What do you need to sacrifice?
Week 4
March 22-28

Read Matthew 6:19-21 NIV
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
When we hear the word treasure, we think of things that are valuable to us. We all have treasures that we want to keep safe and secure. The issue is that on this side of eternity, anything we can save or store up stays here. When we die, we don’t get to take anything on this earth with us. Jesus teaches us where the real treasure is in this part of the Sermon on the Mount.
When we hold too tightly to our earthly treasures, we can be tempted to worry. Surrendering what we have to God helps us to store the real treasures in heaven. We can open our hands to Him and surrender our treasures into His hands, understanding that they are His anyway.
Discuss the questions below as a family. Refer to the Bible passage to help answer.
Discuss
-
What does Jesus want us to store up?
-
Which master are you serving: God or money? Which do you want to serve?
-
Is surrendering to God difficult? Why or why not?
-
What earthly treasures will you surrender to God?
Week 5
March 29-April 4

Read Matthew 19:16-22 NIV
“Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
“Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.”
Jesus is not teaching that being rich or having possessions is sinful or wrong. It’s when we value those possessions and wealth more than we value our relationship with God that it becomes sinful. The rich young ruler wasn’t willing to give up all that he had to follow Jesus because he had great wealth. It’s what kept him from committing to follow Jesus. His possessions were his idol.
We don’t have to be rich or young to relate to the man in this part of Scripture. Just like the rich young ruler, many of us have something in our lives that is keeping us from committing to follow God’s leading. We create idols of materialism, success, wealth, and other things that draw our eyes away from eternity. Jesus is teaching that following Him means committing fully to Him alone.
Committing to follow Jesus is costly on this side of eternity. It means choosing to use our possessions as tools for the glory of God, and Jesus warned us that it will not be easy —but walking away will cost us even more.
Discuss the questions below as a family. Refer to the Bible passage to help answer.
Discuss
-
What kept the rich young ruler from following Jesus?
-
Who or what are you committed to? Is it God, or something else?
-
What changes do you need to make to follow Jesus completely?