The One Year Make-It-Stick Devotions (Paperback)

Chapter One

BOOK OF GENESIS

Genny the Jellyfish

Jellyfish sounds like Genesis. A jellyfish is clear, just like everything God created in the beginning. When you see Genny the Jellyfish in a picture, you'll know the daily devo is from Genesis. Connected to Genny are number symbols. They make the chapter location of the devo click and stick.

Genesis is a book about beginnings. At first everything was perfect and out in the open. There was no sin to cover up. Everything was pure and clear, like a see-through jellyfish floating in crystal blue water. But it didn't stay that way. Adam and his madam, Eve, disobeyed God, and their sin muddied the water for all of us. Things have been cloudy ever since. One day God's Son, Jesus, will return. Then God will create a new earth, and we'll get back to clear blue see-through everything.

MAKE IT STICK

To make a tab for the book of Genesis in your Bible, tear off a sheet from a self-stick notepad. Cut a strip about one-half inch deep. At the sticky end, print Genny the Jellyfish. At the non-sticky end, draw a tiny jellyfish. (Or find a picture that you can make smaller on a copier and paste it to the tab.) Stick your tab on the upper right corner of the page in your Bible where Genesis begins.

Whenever you see a jellyfish or think about one, remember Genny the Jellyfish and the book of Genesis.

JUST FOR FUN

To learn about the two children born in the Garden of Eden, find Genesis, Chapter 4, in your Bible. You can read verses 3-16 to learn about the first family. Who disobeyed God? What happened then?

PRAYER

Dear God, I'm glad there was no sin in the beginning. And I'm glad there will be no sin when Jesus returns. But I'm sorry that sin even came into the world at all. Help me not to cover up my sins. Please forgive me for __. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Week 1, Tuesday

GENESIS, CHAPTER 1 (VERSE 1)

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

DAILY DEVO

In the beginning, God's call got the ball rolling.

Did you know that a very long time ago nothing was around except God? Then, when God decided the time was just right, he created everything. God made the sun, the moon, and the stars. He made the little ball we live on called Planet Earth. He made every living thing on Earth. He also created the sky above and the oceans below. God made the call to create every fish, bird, and animal. And when it was time to make people, God made that call too. None of this was an accident. In the big beginning, only God was big enough to make the call that got the ball rolling. And he's the only one big and powerful enough to keep it going, day after day.

MAKE IT STICK

Roll a ball across your kitchen floor or somewhere outdoors. Then ask yourself, Who made the call to get that ball rolling? Obviously, you made the decision to roll it. In the same way, God made the decision to create the universe and set it in motion. Your made-from-something ball stopped, but God's made-from-nothing "Earth-ball" just keeps rolling and rolling. Isn't God great?

PRAYER

Dear God, thank you for getting the ball rolling when you created the world. And thanks for keeping it rolling day after day and season after season. In Jesus' name, amen.

CLICK-ER: BALL

Whenever you see, play with, or think about a ball, let this picture roll through your mind as the daily devo clicks and sticks. Genny the Jellyfish with her one-on-a-bun will remind you that the devo is from Genesis, Chapter 1.

Week 1, Wednesday

GENESIS, CHAPTER 1 (VERSE 27)

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

DAILY DEVO

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, God's image is in us all.

A mirror on its own is just a piece of glass with a special coating. What makes a mirror really special is the way it shows the figure or image in front of it. You probably used a mirror this morning to get ready for the day. Maybe you brushed your hair and made sure your clothes were on just right. Your mirror's job was to show or reflect your image. When God made people, he gave us the job of reflecting his image like a mirror. That's extra special, isn't it? Everyone-including you-has God's image inside. You reflect what God is like just as your mirror reflects how you look!

MAKE IT STICK

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, God's image is in us all.

Are you able to read the words above? Probably not! To see clearly what the words say, hold them up to a mirror. Then you'll be able to read and understand them. When we are kind and forgiving, we allow God's love to be "reflected" off our life like a mirror reflects the way we look. Then everyone can understand God better.

PRAYER

Dear God, please help me to be more like you. I want people to see what you are like when they look at what I do and say each day. In Jesus' name, amen.

CLICK-ER: MIRROR

Whenever you see, use, or think about a mirror, let your mind reflect on this picture as the daily devo clicks and sticks. Genny the Jellyfish holding a one-on-a-bun will remind you that the devo is from Genesis, Chapter 1.

Week 1, Thursday

GENESIS, CHAPTER 3 (VERSE 1)

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?"

DAILY DEVO

I make a mistake when I listen to the snake.

Satan is tricky and speaks through whatever gets our attention. The Bible says that in the beginning, snakes didn't have to crawl on the ground. They were very smart and very clever. So Satan used a snake to sneak up on Eve and ask: "Did God really say that?" Whenever any voice tells us not to believe God's words in the Bible, remember that the devil is behind it-coiled and hissing at us like a snake. Don't listen. Don't even get close! Call out to God for help to understand Satan's tricks. And be ready to go the other way.

MAKE IT STICK

Coil an old shoelace on a table. Pretend that the plastic tip is the head of a snake. While holding the tip between two fingers, remember a way Satan has tried to trick you. (Has he ever said it was okay to steal? Or to be unkind?) As soon as you remember Satan's lie, say: "I make a mistake when I listen to the snake." Then sweep the pretend snake off the table and step on it. That's a picture of God's promise in Romans 16:20 to "crush Satan under your feet."

PRAYER

Dear God, thank you for helping me listen to your words in the Bible so I won't believe anything Satan tries to tell me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

CLICK-ER: SNAKE

Whenever you see, touch, or think about a snake, let this picture slither through your mind as the daily devo clicks and sticks. Genny the Jellyfish with a three-is-the-key is a reminder that the devo is from Genesis, Chapter 3.

Week 1, Friday

GENESIS, CHAPTER 7 (VERSE 18)

As the waters rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface.

DAILY DEVO

God is the lifeboat that keeps me afloat.

Genesis 6:5 says that in Noah's time people's thoughts were "consistently and totally evil." Noah was the only person who always tried to please God and do exactly what God asked. God trusted Noah, so God told him to build a big boat that would float way above the Flood that was going to cover everything. Noah obeyed. God's directions became the lifeboat that kept Noah and his family alive. God is still in the lifeboat business today. He's always looking for someone who will climb aboard and get involved in his big plan for the world. And he'll be there to help in time of trouble. He wants to float your boat. Will you let him?

MAKE IT STICK

Form a piece of aluminum foil into the shape of a boat. Then watch it float in a pool, a bucket of water, or a bathtub. It floats because it has sides that keep the water out. Now flatten the sides and see what happens. It sinks! When we don't obey God, it's like taking away the sides of our boat. But when we obey God, he becomes the boat that keeps us afloat.

PRAYER

Dear God, sometimes my problems seem so big that I feel like I'm going to sink. But when I obey you, Lord, you keep my life afloat. Thank you! Amen.

CLICK-ER: BOAT

Whenever you see, ride in, or think about a boat, let this picture float through your mind as the daily devo clicks and sticks. Genny the Jellyfish holding a highway-seven-to-heaven sign reminds you that the devo is from Genesis, Chapter 7.

Week 1, Saturday/Sunday

GENESIS, CHAPTER 9 (VERSES 13, 16)

I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth.... When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.

DAILY DEVO

God's rainbow is the seal of his special deal.

The Flood may have been the first rain anybody ever saw. And what a rain it was! Can you imagine 40 days and 40 nights of nonstop rain? When Noah and his family finally got their feet back on the ground, they probably hoped there would never be another storm like that! Well, God promised he would never again send a flood to destroy all living things. And God sent a rainbow as a sign that his promise is real. He gave Noah and his family-and us-a permanent deal and sealed it with a rainbow.

MAKE IT STICK

Color a rainbow, cut it out, and punch a hole near one end. Tie a string to the hole. Punch another hole at the top of a paper circle (the seal) on which you've written "His Special Deal." Tie the other end of the string to that paper. Then punch a hole through the top center of the rainbow and put another string through it. You can hang your rainbow from a kitchen cabinet. As you reach for a glass to get a drink of water, let the rainbow remind you of God's promise.

PRAYER

Thank you, Lord, for beautiful rainbows. Every time I see one in the sky, I'll remember that you always keep your promises. Amen.

CLICK-ER: RAINBOW

Whenever you see or think about a rainbow (paper or real), let this picture flood your heart as the daily devo clicks and sticks. Genny the Jellyfish on a nine-foot-pine reminds you that the devo is from Genesis, Chapter 9.

WEEKEND ACTIVITY IDEAS

(1) Highlight the verses for Week 1 in your Bible. (2) Find Genny the Jellyfish in each picture for this week and identify the chapter-number symbols. (3) Start a collection of Click-ers-real items or pictures of them. (4) Say the daily devos for Week 1. (5) Check out Saturday/Sunday of Week 3 for a related devo on being in the crowd that follows God's cloud.

Fun FACTS

WATER, WATER, WATER

The jellyfish is 99 percent water and so clear that the organs inside it can easily be seen.

(Continues...)