“Open Doors”
Family Devotions
You can do this devotional all at once or break it into pieces. The important thing is not that you answer every question or even follow this guide. The key is that you as a family, take time together, to make Christ the center of your home. I hope by doing devotions that flow from the sermons each week you will be able to have something solid to build from and you will be able to make your church life a part of your life at home. Blessings as you dwell on Christ together.
Read the following Scriptures together:
Acts 16:6-10
6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Acts 20:26-27
26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.
Consider:
What these Scriptures all have in common is the notion that we have specific tasks God wants us to fulfill and that we are responsible to see that they are carried out.
In Acts 16 we see how God was leading Paul to a very specific area he wanted him to serve. Sometimes I think God just lets us serve where we want. Other times, I think He has a very specific plan and purpose for where He wants us to serve. Our service is always for the purpose of making Jesus known and experienced to/by those around us.
Can you think of some places where God wants you to serve right now?
Can you think of some places where God wants your family to serve right now?
Can you think of some places where God wants our church to serve?
If you can’t think of any here are a few categories, you might consider:
Devotions
Prayer
Reading the Word
Reading Christian Literature
Memorization
Fasting
Singing
Serving
Finances
Relationship with spouse
Relationship with children
Relationship with other family
Classmates
Co-workers
Neighbors
Teammates
Holiness
Discipline
Has there ever been a time in your life that God could have used you, or was using you, but that door is now closed? How do you feel about that? Do you have a sense of satisfaction knowing you did all you could, or do you sense that you might have missed an opportunity?
Are there some doors in front of you that you hope God will open? What are they?
Because you can’t go through every door, it’s important that you hear from God and know which doors he wants you to walk through. We’ve all gone through doors we shouldn’t have at one time or another. Is there a door you’ve gone through that maybe wasn’t the right door? How will you correct that? What new path can you take from where you are to get back into the places God has for you?
Conclusion:
Can you imagine how powerful it would be if we all went through just one door God has opened that we have never walked through before? What door will you walk through today?
