This devotional is not created to replace a Bible Reading plan or your personal daily connection time with the Lord. Instead, they are meant to be a short, easy time of connection between both your family and the Lord. If you’d like, read the entirety of the scripture focus as a family. You can do this out of a “regular” version of the Bible, or you can find it in a Children’s Bible. In either case, I encourage you to find a version that you are comfortable with and is easy to understand for you and your children. If your children are old enough, have them read along in their own Bibles! If the reading is too long, you can do the devotional by reading only the verse highlight instead. 

Also, it can be helpful to reiterate the value for the Bible each time you read from it, as well as ask the Lord to speak to you and help you to understand and know Him. You can do this through a simple prayer like this, “Thank you Lord for giving us your words in the Bible. We know that your words are true. Please help us to understand them. Help us to know you and your ways and live according to them. Amen.”

Scripture Focus: Genesis 3

Verse Highlight: Genesis 3:20-21 “Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.”

Introduction Questions: How do you feel when you do something wrong? How does it feel to get in trouble?

Discussion: This is a terrible chapter of the Bible. It is hard to imagine what life in the garden of Eden would have been like. Not only was everything “good” but God Himself was in the garden with Adam and Eve! (See verse 8.) But, in what seems to us like one short moment of weakness, everything suddenly changed. Now instead of walking with God, Adam and Eve hid from Him! Not only that, but life itself would change. They would even have to leave the garden. Everything was not good anymore. 

And this didn’t just impact Adam and Eve! The whole world was changed. 

But, all was not lost. This was a sad and terrible day, to be sure. Sin brought terrible things into the world—it still does! But the good news, the most important thing, is that God didn’t change! He was remained good! (And He still does!) Sin can bring change. It can cause heartache and pain. But, it can never overcome the goodness of God. Even when sin first came, God continued to care for Adam and Eve. He clothed them. He moved them out of the garden so that they wouldn’t eat of the tree of life and forever stay in their sin marred stated. 

And, even though Adam and Eve had disobeyed the Lord and brought terrible consequences to themselves and the world, Eve was still the mother of all the living. All descendants on earth would come from them. Their lives and purpose were not taken away!

Sin is bad. It causes all kinds of pain and problems. It doesn’t feel good to do things wrong because we were created to live like God. But, the good news is that when we do things wrong, God’s goodness remains for us, just like it did for Adam and Eve. We may have consequences to face, but no sin can overcome God’s goodness!

So, when we do something wrong, it is important that we confess and do what we can to face the consequences and make it right. But, we don’t need to be afraid. God’s goodness and care will be with us always. And nothing can ever change that!

Closing Activity: Close in prayer together, thank the Lord for His goodness & for Jesus coming and brining forgiveness for sin. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind any unconfessed sin that needs to be made right. After you close the prayer time, let people share if there is something that the Lord brought to mind. (Make sure to be gracious and patient, helping them to walk through forgiveness and any next steps with care!)

Bonus Activity: Take a roll of toilet paper or a tube of toothpaste and have your kids help you to unroll it all or squeeze it all out of the tube. (If you have a larger family, you may want to offer both so that each person can participate.) Have fun while you are doing this! But, after you are done, ask your kids to roll the toilet paper back up and/or put the toothpaste back into the tube. Offer a reward to anyone who can make it just like it was to start with. 

The point is: you can’t. Once sin occurs, it is impossible to be undone. The good news is that Jesus overcomes sin! The goodness of God and the light of Jesus overcomes any and all darkness! 

1 John 2:1-2 “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.” (NLT)