Published 5/31/19
101 Ways to Strengthen the Parent‐Child Connection
Devotions, Tips, and Activities
By Michael and Tiffany Ross
You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life.
Family Quest
Watch a movie with your kids: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Walt Disney Pictures / Walden Media, 2005). Afterward, sit in a circle and recap what happened to the young character named Edmund Pevensie: He betrayed his siblings to the White Witch while under her evil influence. But as the story progressed, he owned up to his shortcomings and admitted the error of his ways. Edmund was even redeemed by the intervention of Aslan, and the boy eventually joined the battle against the witch. But what price did “the Great Lion” have to pay for Edmund’s freedom? Aslan agreed to lay down his life on the Stone Table! Was Aslan gone forever? Did the evil witch win? (Of course not!) The Great Lion’s sacrifice saved not only Edmund but all of Narnia as well. Now tie in the story with an activity your child can relate to. Say something like this: “Have you ever played a video game where you were cast into a prison cell and had to have a certain number of tokens to buy your release? Could you get out of your predicament any other way? If you didn’t have the needed tokens, what happened to you?” Spend the remainder of your devotional time connecting make-believe worlds with reality. . . .
Talk It Out
· In real life, Someone did the same thing for us. His name, of course, is Jesus Christ. What did Jesus “redeem” for us?
· How did He do it?
· What would have happened to us had He not redeemed us?
Parent-Child Connection
During today’s lesson, define the word redeemer this way: “someone who obtains the release or restoration of another from captivity by paying a ransom; someone who delivers another from sin and its consequences by means of a sacrifice offered for the sinner.” What a perfect description of Jesus Christ and what He did for us! Take the opportunity to share very clearly how Jesus has redeemed each one of us:
• All of us have sinned and fall short of God’s holiness (Romans 3:23).
• The result of unforgiven sin is death. But God’s gift is eternal life given to us by Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).
• Jesus is the only One who can bring us to God (1 Timothy 2:5).
• Even though we are guilty of sin and deserve death, God loved the people of this world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who has faith in Him will have eternal life and never die (John 3:16).
• Jesus died on the cross for us, paying the price for our sins (Philippians 2:8).
• Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, defeating death and giving eternal life to all who will believe in Him (1 Corinthians 15:3–5, 20–22).
• You will be saved if you honestly say, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe with all your heart that God raised Him from death. God will accept you and save you if you truly believe this (Romans 10:9–10).
Talk to God
As you pray, encourage your child to (1) thank Jesus for being willing to redeem her and (2) ask the Lord to show her ways to serve the One who redeemed her.
© 2015 by Back to the Bible