TEXT: Genesis 12:1-9; 13:14-18

One day God looked down from Heaven and saw a man named Abram, whose name was later changed to Abraham. He lived in a tent in the land of Ur. Most of the people who lived in that country prayed to idols. They didn’t love God. But Abraham loved God. He prayed to God and tried to do God’s will.

God could see that Abraham loved Him, even though sinful people lived all around him. Because Abraham was faithful, God chose him to be part of a very important plan. God was going to send Jesus to this earth so that people could be saved from their sins. He wanted Jesus to be born into a special family. Abraham was chosen to be the father of this special family because he believed and trusted God. He would do whatever God said.

“Take your family and leave this place,” God told Abraham. “Go to a land far away that I will show you. I will make your family a great people. All the families of the earth will be blessed because of you.”

Abraham obeyed God. He called his whole family together. They helped him gather his sheep and his cattle. They helped him pack his tents and everything else that he owned. Then they all started on a long journey.

At last they came to the land of Canaan. It was a beautiful land. There were wonderful fields where the sheep and cattle could eat. God spoke to Abraham again. He said He would give all that land to Abraham, and to his children, and to their children.

Abraham and his wife had no children. But God now promised them that they would have a son. God told them to name their son Isaac. God also told Abraham that he would have many, many grandchildren and great ­grandchildren. And there would be so many more that they could not even be counted.

Now, Abraham loved God more than ever before. He built an altar and made an offering to God. He was thankful that God trusted him to be part of His wonderful plan.

All the promises that God gave to Abraham came true! The special family that God promised to him, later became known as the Jewish nation. And on the very first Christmas night, near where Abraham had once lived, Jesus was born into that family.

God has a plan for each of us too. But, like Abraham, we must obey God. If we do this, God will know that we love and trust Him. I wonder what special plan God has for you?

This lesson is about Abraham and how he trusted God and obeyed His commands. Because of this, God made him the father of His chosen people and promised him that his descendants would be as the sand of the sea. Look at a handful of sand with your child. Can he count the grains?

As an activity with your child this week, make a sand painting. Mix clean dry sand with small amounts of liquid poster paints to make a variety of different colors. Spread colored sand on sheets of newspaper to dry. Paint the inside and lip of a shoe box lid with poster paint and let it dry.

Using large block letters, help your child print on the inside of the lid the words, “Abraham Trusted God.” Cover one letter with white glue, and sprinkle the glue with one color of sand. Repeat for remaining letters. When the glue has dried, spray the finished picture with varnish or lacquer.

FAMILY DEVOTIONS