Kids Bible Devotional for October 22, 2024
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Focus Verse
Acts 4:4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand. (KJV)
Jump Start
Thirty to sixty percent. That may not seem like a large number until you consider what it stands for. Let’s find out.
Thirty to sixty percent. That is the estimate of how much of the population of Europe died because of the Bubonic Plague in the 14th century. At that time, people did not fully understand the cause or prevention of contagious diseases.
You may be old enough to remember when the Coronavirus, also known as Covid-19, became a world health concern in 2020, forcing everyone into quarantine. Large gatherings were discouraged. When people did venture out of their homes, they wore facemasks and kept their distance from strangers. This came out of fear that the virus could easily spread from one person to another.
Because of diseases such as the Bubonic Plague and Covid-19, when we think of contagions, it is usually in a negative light. But that are some good things that can also be contagious.
Today's Devotion
Alexa headed to the car pick up line after school. When she arrived, she couldn’t find her mother’s blue minivan and began to worry. Mrs. Schell, one of the pick-up line monitors, came up to her.
“Hi, Alexa. Are you looking for your mom? She’s in the white car in the back of the line.” Alexa peered through the windshield to find her mom waving back to her.
When the car pulled up, Alexa dropped into the passenger seat. “Did you get a new car.”
“This is a rental,” Mom replied. “I had a minor fender-bender earlier today when I was out running errands and had to take the van into the shop.”
Alexa picked up a package of disinfectant wipes from the console. She scrolled over the instructions printed on the side of the container. “Boy, they must be serious about germs. Who would have thought to find wipes in a car rental.”
“Yeah, I thought the same thing, too,” Mom said. “I guess you can’t be too careful.”
“We learned about contagious diseases this week in Health,” Alexa said. “Some of them are pretty bad.”
“Contagious diseases can be pretty dangerous because of how easily they can pass from one person to another. But not all contagious things are bad.”
“They aren’t?” Alexa asked. “I thought that’s what contagious means. Spreading diseases.”
“Oh, no. Joy can be contagious. Think about your last birthday party when everyone was having a good time. The same can be said about love. Love can be contagious, especially God’s love. When you experience the love of Jesus, you feel so special and protected that it makes you want to tell others about Him.”
“I can get that,” Alexa said. “That’s what church is like. When everyone begins to worship, the place can get almost…what’s the word?
“Electric?” Mom offered.
“Yeah, that works. I can see how Jesus is contagious, but in a good way.”
Wrap Up
In our theme verse, we read that when five thousand people heard the gospel, they responded in faith. The simple truth of God’s love and Christ’s resurrection power was enough to convince a multitude to give their lives to Jesus.
When it comes to making Jesus contagious, we must realize that we are “spreaders” of God’s love. Everywhere we go, we should be spreading the joy of the Lord. People should notice a difference in us from the rest of the world. We are the salt of the earth. We are pinpoints of light in a dark world. We are contagions of hope.
Don’t be afraid to get a little Jesus onto someone else. Jesus won’t make them sick. Rather, He is the healer of broken hearts.
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