Family Devotions — Christ the King

CTK Family Devotions Week #144

Main Topic: Restoring God’s Image (4/19) — (True Christianity Book 1, Chapter 41)

Reminder: These devotions are only a tool to use to help you run family devotions in a way that your family needs. Whether you do it daily, tie it to a prayer or sharing time, or have everyone read these verses on their own time is up to you. My aim is to equip you all to be in the Word as a family by giving you Scripture and questions to consider. Each day you will find a main idea to consider, a Scripture passage to read, and some questions to ask to help discuss the reading and tie it to the main idea. Reminder: These devotions are on CTK’s website too!

Monday (6/15/2026)

Instead of lording our righteousness over others, the Law reveals that we need a Savior just as much as anyone.

Romans 2:1–4 (ESV) — 1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

1) What sort of feeling do you get when your class or coworkers get rightly yelled at, but you get praised?

2) In Romans, Paul brings all under condemnation, moving in this section to condemn the reader. Why is this important?

3) Why is it kind for God to convict us of our sin and lead us to repentance? (Because He then can forgive us)

4) Consider carefully ways in which you might be subtly breaking God’s Law, even if it’s “not as bad” as others.

Tuesday (6/16/2026)

A hard heart that refuses to forgive others is at risk of being too hard to be humbled for repentance by the Spirit.

Matthew 6:14–15 (ESV) — 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

1) What was the last thing you forgave someone else for? Was it hard to forgive them and move on?

2) What was the last thing you had to be forgiven for? Was it hard to acknowledge your wrongdoing?

3) What are some examples of sins against you that might be hard to forgive? Must you still forgive these?

4) Ask for God to forgive the hardness of your heart, to lead those who’ve hurt you to repentance, & to strengthen your faith.

Wednesday (6/17/2026)

The Lord was so faithful to His promises that He didn’t let the world’s powers stop Him from freeing His people.

Nehemiah 9:9–15 (ESV) — 9 “And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea, 10 and performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that they acted arrogantly against our fathers. And you made a name for yourself, as it is to this day. 11 And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters. 12 By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night to light for them the way in which they should go. 13 You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 14 and you made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them commandments and statutes and a law by Moses your servant. 15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and brought water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you had sworn to give them.

1) Which sections of the Bible are summarized here? Would you add or remove anything to this summary?

2) Even after witnessing all of these mighty works of God, what happened to this generation of Israelites?

3) Even after seeing all of God’s gracious works towards you, what will happen if you don’t cling to His Word?

Prayer or praise requests that you want featured for next week? Text or call Pastor Joe any time!

Thursday (6/18/2026)

The powerful Word of God applies life because Christ tasted death, suffering, and sorrow for us.

John 17:13–19 (ESV) — 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

1) Re-read the main point. Which verse stresses that truth? (19) How important is that truth?

2) What does verse 17 mean? Give examples of that happening in your life. Are you prioritizing that work?

3) Ask to be sanctified by God’s Word. Set aside time to be in God’s Word at home, on the go, & with other believers.

Friday (6/19/2026)

God calls us to repent, lest we be swept away in judgement by a day of the Lord.

Joel 1:14–16 (ESV) — 14 Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. 15 Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes. 16 Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God?

1) What’s the last day you were very excited for? How about one you were very nervous about or dreading?

2) The day of the Lord has been discussed before. How is that day best described? (Judgment of evil, rescue of righteous)

3) While a fast might be part of your plan, what should you do when you are overwhelmed by sin? (yours or your community’s)

Saturday (6/20/2026)

The Law’s severity should remind us of how far we have fallen and just how much grace we need.

James 2:10–13 (ESV) — 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

1) Share about a time you’ve played a game with unfair or confusing rules. How did it feel?

2) Now, share about a time where you played a game with simple rules that someone kept ignoring. How’d that feel?

3) Are God’s Laws complicated? Are they difficult to keep from the heart perfectly? Why?

4) Is God unjust to punish us for the slightest misstep? Discuss what true justice means.

5) Do you sin because you are a sinner or are you a sinner because you sin? Is your hope in stopping sin or being saved from it?

6) Ask God to carry out His saving work on you through His Word both now and tomorrow in the congregation.

Sunday (6/21/2026) – Prayer and Praise Requests

1) Pray that this summer would be an opportunity to spend more time in God’s Word as a family & at Bible camps.

2) Pray for all those recovering from illness, surgery, and even grief. Ask for God to comfort them.

3) Lift up the Church across the world, especially our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for their faith.

4) Ask for discernment in how best to serve others around you using the gifts God has given you.

5) Ask for God to turn the hearts of leaders (local and national) back to Himself through Christ.

No evening studies tonight.

Please be in prayer for our sister churches around the world.

“See that thou turn all these towards thy God, in order to behold him therein as in a mirror; and, by beholding him, to have his image gradually formed in thy soul.”

— Johann Arndt, True Christianity

CTK Family Devotions Week #145

Main Topic: Restoring God’s Image (5/19) — (True Christianity Book 1, Chapter 41)

Monday (6/22/2026)

Only a restored image of God in us seeks after eternal things, so we need life from outside of ourselves.

Romans 2:5–11 (ESV) — 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.

1) Is there anyone who has done verse 7 perfectly other than Jesus? Explain. What part of v8 makes v7 hard?

2) Is verse 11 good news, bad news, or some of both? Explain.

3) Think carefully how your actions this week can reflect both “patience in well-doing” and a desire for immortality.

Tuesday (6/23/2026)

The cutting work of the Law should lead us to humbly correct our brothers while we also soberly judge ourselves.

Matthew 7:1–6 (ESV) — 1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. 6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

1) Have you ever tried to correct someone, only to be corrected yourself? Share. How did it feel?

2) Re-read v5. How does this reminder keep us from the opposite errors of “never rebuking” and “hypocritical” judgment?

3) Ask for discernment not just in your own life, but also for looking clearly at the lives of those you’re called to guide.

Wednesday (6/24/2026)

The mercy and grace of God are greater than anything we can imagine.

1) As you read this text, note on one hand the actions of the people, and on the other God’s actions towards them.

Nehemiah 9:16–21 (ESV) — 16 “But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. 17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. 18 Even when they had made for themselves a golden calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and had committed great blasphemies, 19 you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 21 Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

2) What did you find in your comparison of actions? What does that reveal about humanity? About God?

3) Make a similar list of actions that God has done (and is doing) for you. What will your response be?

Have requests for food or activities for this week’s youth-only study at CTK? Let Pastor Joe know!

Thursday (6/25/2026)

Christ’s mercy and grace towards us is also greater than anything we can imagine.

John 17:20–23 (ESV) — 20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

1) Why is verse 20 so amazing? (Jesus is praying for us!) Do you often think about Jesus loving us so dearly?

2) What does Jesus desire for us? Based on what He said earlier in John 17, what means does He use to make this happen?

3) Thank Jesus together for His concern for you even as He prepared Himself to suffer and die for your sins.

Friday (6/26/2026)

In our most desperate hour, our eyes are often refocused on the only One who can truly save us.

Joel 1:17–20 (ESV) — 17 The seed shrivels under the clods; the storehouses are desolate; the granaries are torn down because the grain has dried up. 18 How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep suffer. 19 To you, O LORD, I call. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field. 20 Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

1) How often do your prayers begin with the desperation of verse 19? Explain when they might (how bad is it).

2) Even though it did not deserve it, our fall into sin shattered creation and caused it to suffer. How does this passage show that?

3) The brokenness that Adam as head brought into all of creation will be undone by Christ, the new and greater Adam. Share which aspects of the restoration of creation that you are most looking forward to at Christ’s return.

Saturday (6/27/2026)

As the image of God has been broken, so also has the beautiful power of the tongue been corrupted by our pride.

James 3:1–6 (ESV) — 1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

1) Try to speak some tongue-twisters together. OR Try to sing some songs while sticking your tongue out.

2) What makes the tongue so powerful? Make a list of what the tongue/speech can do, both good and bad.

3) Use your tongue to ask for forgiveness, give praise to God, and ask for His Word to be on your tongue always.

Sunday (6/28/2026) – Prayer and Praise Requests

1) Pray that this summer would be an opportunity to spend more time in God’s Word as a family & at Bible camps.

2) Pray for all those recovering from illness, surgery, and even grief. Ask for God to comfort them.

3) Lift up the Church across the world, especially our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for their faith.

4) Ask for discernment in how best to serve others around you using the gifts God has given you.

5) Ask for God to turn the hearts of leaders (local and national) back to Himself through Christ.

Tonight will be a youth-only study at Christ the King. Students entering 7th grade through college are welcome. Arrive anytime 4:30pm onwards. Main activities start at 5pm and run until 6:30pm.

Food, fellowship, games, and a lesson time in God’s Word. Invite a friend or two to join in on the fun.

“As God is a truly good and holy Being; so also were the substance of the soul, and its true nature and essence, originally good and holy.”

— Johann Arndt, True Christianity

CTK Family Devotions Week #146

Main Topic: Restoring God’s Image (6/19) — (True Christianity Book 1, Chapter 41)

Monday (6/29/2026)

Ignorance of God’s Law will never work as an excuse for committing sin and evil.

Romans 2:12–16 (ESV) — 12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

1) If you got pulled over for speeding, do you think the officer wouldn’t give you a ticket if you said you didn’t know the limit? Explain

2) Re-read v15. What are cultural examples of the law/conscience at work even in unbelievers? (Adultery bad, greed bad, etc)

3) When sharing the Gospel, how can you use the example of conscience as a path to showing off sin before pointing to Christ? Think of at least one person you can do that with when the opportunity comes up this week.

Tuesday (6/30/2026)

Only Christ has the authority to restore the broken image of God, since He alone can cover us in His perfection.

Matthew 7:28–8:4 (ESV) — 28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. 1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

1) What medical advice would you trust more: tips from a TikTok influencer or tips from your doctor? Why?

2) Who has ultimate authority over spiritual and physical health? Where do we go to hear from Him?

3) Ask for a heart ready to submit to Christ’s ways, to be led by His authority, and to encourage others with His truth.

Wednesday (7/1/2026)

God has every right to judge sinful humanity, even at the hands of other broken humans.

Nehemiah 9:22–25 (ESV) — 22 “And you gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner. So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. 23 You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess. 24 So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and you subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. 25 And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in your great goodness.

1) What was the greatest victory you’ve ever achieved in a game? (video, board, sport, etc.) How about the worst defeat?

2) This recalls a great victory for Israel, but a loss for the Canaanites. Was God being unfair during this time? Explain.

3) What are earthly kingdom/religions that may have to fall for the Gospel to spread further? (Islam, Judaism, communism, etc)

Prayer or praise requests that you want featured for next week? Text or call Pastor Joe any time!

Thursday (7/2/2026)

The restoration of the image of God includes a restoration of true love, not our inadequate substitutes.

John 17:24–26 (ESV) — 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

1) How does our culture define love? How would you define love? How does God define love, since He IS love?

2) How are the knowledge of Christ and the reflection of His love connected? Thus, how do gain both?

3) Ask that the Lord would continue His work on your heart as you know Him through His Word & love His people daily.

Friday (7/3/2026)

Judgment for rebellion will occur even in places where the Lord was once worshipped in truth.

Joel 2:1–3 (ESV) — 1 Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near, 2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. 3 Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them.

1) What’s the holiest place you can think of? Would God hesitate to wipe it out if people there rejected Him?

2) Where is this judgment in Joel taking place? Does that mean God forgot His promises? (No, His people rejected Him)

3) Can the Lord cause a place condemned by His wrath to one day be restored? Give examples & explain how He does this.

Saturday (7/4/2026) – Independence Day

Instead of using our freedom for evil, we ought to ask for a pure heart that pours out good words & actions.

James 3:7–12 (ESV) — 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

1) What sort of animals have you tamed? Share stories of experiences, good or bad, you had while doing this.

2) What does James have to say about our tongues? What does that reveal about our current human condition?

3) How does Christ turn us from hypocrites with evil tongues to people who proclaim him & sing His praise? Ask that this would be done for you tomorrow in congregational worship & always as He convicts, restores, & guides you by His Word.

Sunday (7/5/2026) – Prayer and Praise Requests

1) Pray that this summer would be an opportunity to spend more time in God’s Word as a family & at Bible camps.

2) Pray for all those recovering from illness, surgery, and even grief. Ask for God to comfort them.

3) Lift up the Church across the world, especially our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for their faith.

4) Ask for discernment in how best to serve others around you using the gifts God has given you.

5) Ask for God to turn the hearts of leaders (local and national) back to Himself through Christ.

No studies tonight.

Lift up our nation in prayer, asking God to bring us all to repentance and faith!

“Hence, as God himself is, so was the human soul; righteous, loving, merciful, long-suffering, patient, meek, gentle, true, and pure.”

— Johann Arndt, True Christianity

CTK Family Devotions Week #147

Main Topic: Restoring God’s Image (7/19) — (True Christianity Book 1, Chapter 41)

Monday (7/6/2026)

Only the perfect righteousness of Christ that comes through faith can restore what was broken, not bloodlines.

Romans 2:17–24 (ESV) — 17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

1) What sort of reputation does your family have? Do you have the same reputation, or a different one? Explain.

2) What issues is Paul attempting to correct here? (Thinking salvation is by lineage, not allegiance) Can this happen in the church?

3) Look carefully in God’s Word during your devos this week for ways in which you have broken the Law & how Christ is restoring you

Tuesday (7/7/2026)

The restoration of the image of God is accomplished through the powerful & active Word of God.

Matthew 8:5–13 (ESV) — 5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.

1) Has someone ever surprised you by surpassing your expectations? How about disappointed you by falling short?

2) Why is Jesus so amazed at this Roman solider? Is the soldier’s assumption about Christ’s authority correct & logical?

3) Ask for a faith that rests confidently on the mercy of Christ and the power of His living & active Word.

Wednesday (7/8/2026)

The old nature delights in turning back to wickedness, while our perfect God delights in delivering us.

Nehemiah 9:26–27 (ESV) — 26 “Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. 27 Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. And in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies.

1) What book of the Bible is being summarized here? Would you add anything else to this summary?

2) Take turns “casting” things behind your back. How did Israel do this with God’s law? How do you do the same?

3) What does it take to collect something you’ve tossed behind your back? How is repentance like this?

Have requests for food or activities for this week’s youth-only study at CTK? Let Pastor Joe know!

Thursday (7/9/2026)

Even more unmovable than the mountains, our God who was and is and is to come has an eternal name.

Deuteronomy 32:1–4 (ESV) — 1 “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. 2 May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb. 3 For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God! 4 “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.

1) What’s your favorite kind of weather? (Rain, sunny, snow, etc.) How is God’s Word like rain? (See Isaiah 55)

2) What’s your favorite kind of rock? What’s the biggest rock formation you’ve ever climbed/stood on?

3) Why is God called “the Rock” by His people? In what ways has He remained steady for you over the years?

4) Thank the Lord for His justice, His steadfast love, and His willingness to both condemn sin & deliver you, the sinner.

Friday (7/10/2026)

Even in its brokenness, creation is under the command of the Lord who might use it to condemn evil.

Joel 2:4–8 (ESV) — 4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like war horses they run. 5 As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a powerful army drawn up for battle. 6 Before them peoples are in anguish; all faces grow pale. 7 Like warriors they charge; like soldiers they scale the wall. They march each on his way; they do not swerve from their paths. 8 They do not jostle one another; each marches in his path; they burst through the weapons and are not halted.

1) Joel is likely about a locust plague. Is this description of them accurate? What other descriptions could be used?

2) What was the damage caused by the locust? How did this rebuke Israel’s idol worship? (They thought false gods would give crops)

3) Instead of destruction, what does the Lord promise ultimately for those who fear, love, and trust in Him?

Saturday (7/11/2026)

Understanding our need for restoration should lead to humility in planning, serving, and worshipping.

James 4:13–17 (ESV) — 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

1) Re-read verse 15. How does this convict you? How can you practically practice it this coming week?

2) Re-read verse 16. How does this convict you? How can you practically practice it this coming week?

3) Re-read verse 17. How does this convict you? How can you practically practice it this coming week?

4) Ask for humility in being convicted & restored, wisdom in serving, & patience for dealing with others.

Sunday (7/12/2026) – Prayer and Praise Requests

1) Pray that this summer would be an opportunity to spend more time in God’s Word as a family & at Bible camps.

2) Pray for all those recovering from illness, surgery, and even grief. Ask for God to comfort them.

3) Lift up the Church across the world, especially our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for their faith.

4) Ask for discernment in how best to serve others around you using the gifts God has given you.

5) Ask for God to turn the hearts of leaders (local and national) back to Himself through Christ.

Food, fellowship, games, and a lesson time in God’s Word. Invite a friend or two to join in on the fun.

“For since man is made up of soul and body, and exercises both bodily and spiritual functions, there was a necessity that the instrument through which the soul was to act, should be pliable and obedient, adapted to the nature of the soul, and holy as the soul was holy; to the end that the holy and righteous soul, might finish her work through the body without any obstacle or resistance.”

— Johann Arndt, True Christianity

CTK Family Devotions Week #148

Main Topic: Restoring God’s Image (8/19) — (True Christianity Book 1, Chapter 41)

Monday (7/13/2026)

The perfect righteousness that came with the image of God begins in the heart, so external change cannot restore it.

Romans 2:25–29 (ESV) — 25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

1) Are you part of any teams or clubs? What are things you own that signify you are part of the team? (Jersey, etc.)

2) What is Paul saying it takes to be on God’s team? (perfect obedience & circumcision of the heart) Have you done this?

3) Look up Colossians 2:11–14. How does God deliver the victory Christ earned at the cross? (Baptism into faith)

4) Can you take credit for your “spiritual circumcision” of baptism? Why not? How is God’s work in this way comforting?

Tuesday (7/14/2026)

Sickness & death were never intended for us, so Christ has authority to cast those things out as He restores us.

Matthew 8:14–17 (ESV) — 14 And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

1) Who is the best doctor you have ever had? How did they help you? Could they ever do something like this?

2) Jesus’ power is amazing, but re-read v17 and consider: did Jesus know He would experience our pain? Why did he?

3) Lift up a song of praise to the one who enduring brokenness for us that we might be fully healed for eternity.

Wednesday (7/15/2026)

Long-suffering patience is a vital attribute of God and part of His image that is to be restored in us.

Nehemiah 9:28–31 (ESV) — 28 But after they had rest they did evil again before you, and you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. Yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you delivered them according to your mercies. 29 And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them, and they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. 30 Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. 31 Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

1) How many centuries of biblical history could Nehemiah’s description apply to? How about to us in the church age?

2) What’s the longest that you ever had to wait in line for something? How about for a friend to return something?

3) What makes waiting so hard? Why does God act so kindly as He waits for us & brings us back to Himself?

4) Make a list of all the times so far this year you can remember the Lord or His people having been patient with you. Thank them!

Prayer or praise requests that you want featured for next week? Text or call Pastor Joe any time!

Thursday (7/16/2026)

To reject the Lord and His image of righteousness is foolish, since there is life in no one else.

Deuteronomy 32:5–6 (ESV) — 5 They have dealt corruptly with him; they are no longer his children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation. 6 Do you thus repay the LORD, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you?

1) Have you ever done something nice for someone, only to get a terrible response from them? Share examples.

2) How does this passage connect to the reading from Nehemiah yesterday? What does this reveal about God?

3) Is there anyone else besides God who gives life (both now and eternally)? Explain why we seek life apart from Him

4) Humbly confess together your failures & times you’ve responded wickedly to God’s mercy. Then rejoice in His grace.

Friday (7/17/2026)

Behind the stunning day of the Lord is His mighty Word which commands, convicts, delivers, and guides.

Joel 2:9–11 (ESV) — 9 They leap upon the city, they run upon the walls, they climb up into the houses, they enter through the windows like a thief. 10 The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. 11 The LORD utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome; who can endure it?

1) What’s the most intense thing you’ve heard from God’s Word? If it was one of God’s actions, how did (or will) He make it happen?

2) What are the most intense things the Lord has done in your life through His Word? Think both correction & guidance.

3) Given all this, where should you look when you need life, hope, instruction, peace, wisdom, or stability? (Word)

Saturday (7/18/2026)

The Lord is jealous, wishing that none of us would perish, but that we would all turn from our evil distractions.

James 5:1–6 (ESV) — 1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

1) Are there any people you can think of that need to hear this? How about people you know? How about yourself?

2) Is having a money a bad thing? How then does money lead to trouble? (Our hearts misuse it, covet it, don’t share it, etc.)

3) Ask the Lord to give you a new understanding of money as a gift given by Him to be used for the advancing of His kingdom and serving the needy, be it near or far, enemies or friends, all that people might know Christ and grow in Him.

Sunday (7/19/2026) – Prayer and Praise Requests

1) Pray that this summer would be an opportunity to spend more time in God’s Word as a family & at Bible camps.

2) Pray for all those recovering from illness, surgery, and even grief. Ask for God to comfort them.

3) Lift up the Church across the world, especially our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for their faith.

4) Ask for discernment in how best to serve others around you using the gifts God has given you.

5) Ask for God to turn the hearts of leaders (local and national) back to Himself through Christ.

No studies tonight

Please be in prayer for our campers heading to various Bible camps, like PLLBC!

“Moreover, there was a perfect joy in God, which accompanied this perfection of holiness, righteousness, and divine love, in man.”

— Johann Arndt, True Christianity

CTK Family Devotions Week #149

Main Topic: Restoring God’s Image (9/19) — (True Christianity Book 1, Chapter 41)

Monday (7/20/2026)

Our further breaking of the image of God demonstrates the justice behind our condemnation.

Romans 3:5–8 (ESV) — 5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.

1) Look up examples of judges that gave sentences that were “too light” for a crime. What consequences might this have?

2) Is it possible for God to not judge sin? Why not? (He is just) How then can we be saved? (Christ was judged for us)

3) Instead of using your freedom from condemnation for sin & selfishness, what have you been called to do (specifically)?

Tuesday (7/21/2026)

Jesus, as one with with the Father, alone has authority over creation, including all of mankind.

1) Together, act out this text. Make sure you get into acting out the intensity of the storm!

Matthew 8:23–27 (ESV) — 23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

2) What is the answer to the disciples’ question in v27? (Jesus is God) Why does that answer matter to you?

3) Together, ask for a confident faith in Jesus, the master of creation, eternity, the church, and your life.

Wednesday (7/22/2026)

God’s people are not set apart because of their genetics, customs, or geography, but by their repentance & faith.

Nehemiah 9:32–35 (ESV) — 32 “Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33 Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law or paid attention to your commandments and your warnings that you gave them. 35 Even in their own kingdom, and amid your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you or turn from their wicked works.

1) About how many years had passed since Nehemiah’s time and the first troubles between Assyria & Israel? (~300 years, 2 Kings 15:19)

2) If a people had been oppressed for that long, what would it do to their mentality? Where would they look for help?

3) Even if God judged His people for turning to false gods for help with the exile, what does the situation during Nehemiah’s time prove about God & His mercy? (He doesn’t give up on His people or His promises)

Have requests for food or activities for this week’s youth-only study at CTK? Let Pastor Joe know!

Thursday (7/23/2026)

The Lord had every right to choose a stubborn people to be the means by which He sent His Son to save the world.

Deuteronomy 32:7–9 (ESV) — 7 Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you. 8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. 9 But the LORD’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.

1) What’s the last question you remember asking to one of your parents? (Grandparents/greatgrands if you have them here)

2) What are some of the most important things you could learn from previous generations? (Spiritual & practical)

3) What does this text reveal about God’s people? (They were set apart to serve Him) Why does this matter?

4) Ask for humility in listening to the wisdom of your elders and for insight into the wonders of God’s saving call.

Friday (7/24/2026)

The judgment of the Lord is intended to lead us to true repentance that begins when He works on our hearts.

Joel 2:12–14 (ESV) — 12 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. 14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God?

1) How often is repentance included as part of your weekly worship service? How about your daily schedule?

2) Is it possible in our own strength to carry out v12? Who then empowers repentance? (The Holy Spirit) How?

3) Think of someone who doesn’t know the Lord. How can you present this text to them so as to point them to life in Christ?

Saturday (7/25/2026)

Like crops in their season, the Lord works to raise up and equip His people with everything they need as they serve Him.

James 5:7–9 (ESV) — 7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

1) What crops take the longest to grow? How about the shortest to grow? What are some of your favorites from each kind?

2) In what ways do we have to wait like a farmer for the crops? What is growing in us? Around us? How?

3) Ask the Lord to plant His Word in your heart tomorrow and cause it to bear fruit that in turn can plant seeds in others.

Sunday (7/26/2026) – Prayer and Praise Requests

1) Pray that this summer would be an opportunity to spend more time in God’s Word as a family & at Bible camps.

2) Pray for all those recovering from illness, surgery, and even grief. Ask for God to comfort them.

3) Lift up the Church across the world, especially our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for their faith.

4) Ask for discernment in how best to serve others around you using the gifts God has given you.

5) Ask for God to turn the hearts of leaders (local and national) back to Himself through Christ.

Food, fellowship, games, and a lesson time in God’s Word. Invite a friend or two to join in on the fun.

“He not only embraces us as a father does his children, but he rejoices over us as over his bride; nay, most tenderly kisses us “with the kisses of his mouth” (Cant. 1:2.), (that is, in Christ, who is his mouth and word), and coming to us, through Christ with the Holy Ghost, makes his abode with us.”

— Johann Arndt, True Christianity

CTK Family Devotions Week #150

Main Topic: Restoring God’s Image (10/19) — (True Christianity Book 1, Chapter 41)

Monday (7/27/2026)

The broken image of God means we are quick to sin in all sorts of awful ways.

Romans 3:9–18 (ESV) — 9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

1) See if you can connect all of the sins here to the Ten Commandments. Were all of the commandments broken?

2) How does knowing that all of us are by nature under sin help us remain humble AND boldly preach Christ?

3) Plan for how you can use this list of sins & the commandments to show a friend their need for a Savior.

Tuesday (7/28/2026)

The unfiltered power of God is a terrible thing to behold as broken image bearers.

Matthew 8:28–34 (ESV) — 28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

1) How angry would you be in you were the herdsmen who owned these pigs? Explain.

2) Discuss Jesus’ intentions in allowing the demons to go into the pigs. Is this mercy? Cruelty? What’s going on?

3) Ask for a sense of awe at the power of God, a penitent heart that seeks His mercy, and for wisdom in reading His Word

Wednesday (7/29/2026)

The restoration of the image of God is a difficult process, but the Lord who works in His people provides all that’s needed.

Nehemiah 9:36–38 (ESV) — 36 Behold, we are slaves this day; in the land that you gave to our fathers to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts, behold, we are slaves. 37 And its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They rule over our bodies and over our livestock as they please, and we are in great distress. 38 “Because of all this we make a firm covenant in writing; on the sealed document are the names of our princes, our Levites, and our priests.

1) Have you ever been enslaved to someone? (formally, or through debt, etc.). Do you have ancestors who were slaves?

2) What sort of things did the Israelites suffer because of their masters? Why were they in this predicament? (v37)

3) What is Israel’s response to their troubles, after hearing from God’s Word and considering their past?

4) What should your response be when you hear God’s Word, see your chains, and need life or guidance?

Prayer or praise requests that you want featured for next week? Text or call Pastor Joe any time!

Thursday (7/30/2026)

The multi-faceted work of the Lord on His people is for their good, no matter the troubling circumstances.

Deuteronomy 32:10–14 (ESV) — 10 “He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. 11 Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, 12 the LORD alone guided him, no foreign god was with him. 13 He made him ride on the high places of the land, and he ate the produce of the field, and he suckled him with honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock. 14 Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of Bashan and goats, with the very finest of the wheat— and you drank foaming wine made from the blood of the grape.

1) Have everyone pick one of the verses above and explain: what work of the Lord it refers to AND what similar work the Lord is doing in their own life at the moment. Think about the historical reality & its impact on you!

2) What was enjoyable about the exercise? What was hard? What did you learn?

3) Take time to thank the Lord for His ever-working Word and it’s power to change you to be more like Christ.

Friday (7/31/2026)

A restoration of the broken image of God is more important than any human goal or celebration.

Joel 2:15–17 (ESV) — 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; 16 gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. 17 Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, “Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ”

1) How much planning goes into a wedding? How about ancient weddings? What events could cancel a wedding?

2) The need for God’s people to repent was greater even then a wedding. What events might we need to cancel to respond to God’s Word?

3) Re-evaluate your schedule for this weekend. Plan to spend extra time in God’s Word & prayer, especially if times have been hard.

Saturday (8/1/2026)

As the Lord restores His people, He provides them with endurance in the midst of hardships and trials.

James 5:10–12 (ESV) — 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

1) What is verse 10 teaching? (Most prophets were killed for speaking the truth, so the world will hate us too)

2) What is verse 11 teaching? (Even when it is the worst time in our lives, the Lord is still gracious & working for our good)

3) What is verse 12 teaching? (We do not have the authority over the future, so we entrust all things to the Lord)

4) Prepare your heart for Sunday by asking for boldness in speaking the truth, endurance in suffering, & peace about the future.

Sunday (8/2/2026) – Prayer and Praise Requests

1) Pray that this summer would be an opportunity to spend more time in God’s Word as a family & at Bible camps.

2) Pray for all those recovering from illness, surgery, and even grief. Ask for God to comfort them.

3) Lift up the Church across the world, especially our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for their faith.

4) Ask for discernment in how best to serve others around you using the gifts God has given you.

5) Ask for God to turn the hearts of leaders (local and national) back to Himself through Christ.

No studies tonight

Please be in prayer as plans for the falls season come together

“It cannot be denied, that God created man, to be a bright mirror of himself: so that if man had been desirous to know the nature of God, he might, by looking into himself, have beheld God there, as in a glass, and clearly perceived the image of the Deity within his own breast.”

— Johann Arndt, True Christianity

CTK Family Devotions Week #151

Main Topic: Restoring God’s Image (11/19) — (True Christianity Book 1, Chapter 41)

Monday (8/3/2026)

There is no doubt: the restoration of the image of God cannot happen by our own strength.

Romans 3:19–20 (ESV) — 19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

1) What does this text mean? Is there any way out of our predicament as sinners that we ourselves can create?

2) Do you know what Paul writes immediately after this? Why is he so thorough is showing our need first?

3) Is showing our need as sinners before proclaiming Christ as savior something all preachers should do? Explain.

4) Do these verses condemn man-made religions that focus on doing our best to earn favor? Explain.

Tuesday (8/4/2026)

Jesus has authority not only over temporal things, but also over eternal realities.

Matthew 9:1–8 (ESV) — 1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

1) Think back to Pastor Joe’s 6/7 sermon: if this was McDonalds, what was the sign & what was the burger bag?

2) Jesus demonstrates He not only has authority to establish a sign pointing to life, but to apply that life itself. Where do we see this played out in the church today? (ex: Songs point to Jesus, but Word & sacraments actually deliver Him)

3) Ask for the Lord to not just demonstrate His power, but to apply His grace to you by His Word daily.

Wednesday (8/5/2026)

The following of God’s Law is to be done as an entire community together.

Nehemiah 10:28–29 (ESV) — 28 “The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, 29 join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord and his rules and his statutes.

1) What sort of events/traditions do you have as a family? As a church? As a town? As a state? As a country?

2) Is it a good thing to follow God’s Law? What should we do when we fail to? Should we plan to repent? Explain.

3) Do the traditions in your congregation allow you to hear God’s Word, to confess your faith, to confess your sin, to receive forgiveness, to worship, to pray, and to fellowship with others? If not, how can you encourage positive change? Think carefully about other positive changes you may need to encourage in other areas, like home, too!

Have requests for food or activities for this week’s youth-only study at CTK? Let Pastor Joe know!

Thursday (8/6/2026)

Our sinful hearts delight in forsaking the wisdom of our elders and the truth of God in exchange for pleasant lies.

Deuteronomy 32:15–18 (ESV) — 15 “But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked; you grew fat, stout, and sleek; then he forsook God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation. 16 They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger. 17 They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded. 18 You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.

1) What is God described as in these verses? (Rock) Explain how this title is fitting.

2) When do we think about God more: in the good times or in the bad times? Why? Is this good or bad?

3) Ask for a heart that remains faithful to the Lord, knowing that He has mercy on you every second of every day.

Friday (8/7/2026)

It is the Lord’s mercy alone that provides for all of our needs.

Joel 2:18–20 (ESV) — 18 Then the LORD became jealous for his land and had pity on his people. 19 The LORD answered and said to his people, “Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. 20 “I will remove the northerner far from you, and drive him into a parched and desolate land, his vanguard into the eastern sea, and his rear guard into the western sea; the stench and foul smell of him will rise, for he has done great things.

1) What was the longest you had to go without food recently? What meal did you break your fast with? Was it good?

2) Did the Lord have to deliver His people? Why did He do so? Why does He deliver us?

3) List out some of the specific blessings that the Lord sends to satisfy you. Think physical, emotional, relational, spiritual, etc.

Saturday (8/8/2026)

Relying entirely on the one who works to restore the fallen image of God leads to amazing things.

James 5:13–18 (ESV) — 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

1) How much time do you spend in prayer on a given week? What sort of things do you ask for?

2) How often do you practice v16? Why is confessing our sin & applying forgiveness to each other such a good thing?

3) Ask even now for the Lord’s will to be done in your life & for your heart to be ready to pray, confess, & forgive as needed tomorrow.

Sunday (8/9/2026) – Prayer and Praise Requests

1) Pray that this summer would be an opportunity to spend more time in God’s Word as a family & at Bible camps.

2) Pray for all those recovering from illness, surgery, and even grief. Ask for God to comfort them.

3) Lift up the Church across the world, especially our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for their faith.

4) Ask for discernment in how best to serve others around you using the gifts God has given you.

5) Ask for God to turn the hearts of leaders (local and national) back to Himself through Christ.

Food, fellowship, games, and a lesson time in God’s Word. Invite a friend or two to join in on the fun.

“Now, unless the Holy Ghost shine in upon the soul under this terrible affliction, and by darting in some ray of his light comfort it; the devil slays the man with this death, and racks the soul with the very anguish of hell itself.”

— Johann Arndt, True Christianity

CTK Family Devotions Week #152

Main Topic: Restoring God’s Image (12/19) — (True Christianity Book 1, Chapter 41)

Monday (8/10/2026)

The only hope of restoring the image of God is found in the perfect righteousness of Jesus, given through faith.

Romans 3:21–27 (ESV) — 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.

1) This is a “highlight" verse in Scripture. What important things can you learn from these verses alone?

2) What does it mean that God is both just and a justifier? Why do we need Him to be both?

3) How would you share those truths in your own words to a friend looking for hope?

4) How do these verses serve to give you life? When you are troubled, where then should you look for hope?

Tuesday (8/11/2026)

Unless you recognize your need for the restored image of God, you will always spurn Christ’s efforts to save you.

Matthew 9:9–13 (ESV) — 9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. 10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

1) Do you like going to the doctor? Do you go routinely to visits or only when you are really sick?

2) How is Jesus like a doctor (physician)? How is Jesus different than a doctor?

3) What sort of sickness do we all suffer from? How does Christ deal with this sickness of sin? (Died, rose, Word, Spirit)

4) Ask humbly for the Great Physician to heal you and equip you to seek out others who need Him too!

Wednesday (8/12/2026)

Caring for the house of God is not merely about a building, but about His glory being proclaimed consistently.

Nehemiah 10:39 (ESV) — 39 For the people of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the chambers, where the vessels of the sanctuary are, as well as the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not neglect the house of our God.”

1) What is your favorite form of bread? (grain & oil, + extras) How about your favorite drink made from fruit?

2) Why did the temple under the old covenant need these things? Do they point ahead to the new covenant? How?

3) Caring for a church building, if you have one, is important. In what ways can this “house of God” be neglected? 4) Even more importantly, we are the house of God (See: Ephesians 2:21–22; 1 Peter 2:5; 1 Corinthians 3:16; or 2 Corinthians 6:16).

5) How can we neglect this house made of the saints? (Some ideas… Personally: not being in Word; corporately: not gathering together or ignoring needs of others or rejecting cornerstone; other ways you can think of?)

Prayer or praise requests that you want featured for next week? Text or call Pastor Joe any time!

Thursday (8/13/2026)

Those who reject the grace of God can only look forward to a fiery judgment of condemnation.

Deuteronomy 32:19–22 (ESV) — 19 “The LORD saw it and spurned them, because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters. 20 And he said, ‘I will hide my face from them; I will see what their end will be, for they are a perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness. 21 They have made me jealous with what is no god; they have provoked me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are no people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. 22 For a fire is kindled by my anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol, devours the earth and its increase, and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

1) What’s the biggest fire you’ve ever started? How about the biggest one you’ve ever seen? What did it destroy?

2) Where is the New Testament does it warn us that our God is a consuming fire? Why is this warning important?

3) Ask for the Lord’s mercy, that He wouldn’t condemn you for your sins but that, for Christ’s sake, you would be forgiven & restored

Friday (8/14/2026)

The Lord provides living water through the victory of His Son and by the power of His Spirit.

Joel 2:21–23 (ESV) — 21 “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things! 22 Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield. 23 “Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before.

1) What’s the most amount of rainfall that you’ve experienced in one day? One week? One month?

2) Use the picture of rain watering the earth to describe what Christ providing living water does for us. (Gives life, produces fruit)

3) Together, list out blessings, both spiritual and temporal, that the Lord has blessed you with in recent days.

Saturday (8/15/2026)

When our brothers fall into sin, we should hunt them down with the Gospel that they might be saved.

James 5:19–20 (ESV) — 19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

1) Have you ever been lost? Share what it was like & discuss what place it’d be worst to get lost in (store, woods, cave, etc.)

2) In what ways is turning back to sin like getting lost? What are common ways we are tempted to turn from truth?

3) How can you seeking after a friend and sharing God’s Word (Law and Gospel) restore and save them?

4) Ask for a boldness for yourself in proclaiming truth to your friends, as well as for friends who will proclaim the Gospel to you if you wander into sin. Then, look closely for those friends tomorrow when you gather for worship.

Sunday (8/16/2026) – Prayer and Praise Requests

1) Pray that this summer would be an opportunity to spend more time in God’s Word as a family & at Bible camps.

2) Pray for all those recovering from illness, surgery, and even grief. Ask for God to comfort them.

3) Lift up the Church across the world, especially our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for their faith.

4) Ask for discernment in how best to serve others around you using the gifts God has given you.

5) Ask for God to turn the hearts of leaders (local and national) back to Himself through Christ.

No studies tonight

Be in prayer for fall activities as they are planned!

“For the whole Christian life is indeed nothing else, than a constant wrestling with original sin, and a continual purging away of the same by the aid of the Holy Ghost, and by true repentance.”

— Johann Arndt, True Christianity

CTK Family Devotions Week #153

Main Topic: Restoring God’s Image (13/19) — (True Christianity Book 1, Chapter 41)

Monday (8/17/2026)

As ones restored in Christ, we continually seek to love our neighbors as we carry out the good law of God.

Romans 3:28–31 (ESV) — 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

1) If God graded you based on how well you kept His law, what score would you get? What is a passing score before God?

2) What is the main fulfilling of the Law? (Love) Who defines what love is? (God, in His law) So do we need the law? (Yes)

3) How would you respond to someone criticizing your faith, saying that you don’t care about doing good anymore since it doesn’t save?

4) Make a plan to “uphold” the law this week, thinking of specific applications of love you have been called to.

Tuesday (8/18/2026)

As we await the return of Christ, things will be difficult, but we have a sure hope & an everlasting reward.

Matthew 9:14–17 (ESV) — 14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

1) What was the last wedding you attended like? Are the tears at a wedding tears of grief? What are they?

2) Since righteousness could never be perfectly achieved under the old covenant, how did Christ institute a new one?

3) What things about Christ’s return excite you? What struggles are you feeling now while you wait for Him?

4) Lift both your joys and sorrows to the Lord in prayer, asking Him to give you patience as you await His return in glory.

Wednesday (8/19/2026)

It is appropriate to use our musical talents to glorify God and lead our hearts in times of praise for His goodness.

Nehemiah 12:27–30 (ESV) — 27 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres. 28 And the sons of the singers gathered together from the district surrounding Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites; 29 also from Beth-gilgal and from the region of Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built for themselves villages around Jerusalem. 30 And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and the wall.

1) What’s your favorite musical instrument? How about your favorite genre of music?

2) What are different kinds of music that might be appropriate for a worship service? What might be inappropriate?

3) How often do we use “cymbals, harps, and lyres” in our services? What instruments do we often use? Why?

4) Does it matter what sort of instruments we use when we praise God? What makes some instruments better than others for the public worship service (think about balance, being able to lead the group, etc.)

5) Spend some time looking through the music you listen to and consider if these songs glorify God or not.

6) Likewise, consider what Christian songs might be better suited for listening to, rather than singing in a service.

Have requests for food or activities for this week’s youth-only study at CTK? Let Pastor Joe know!

Thursday (8/20/2026)

The Lord punishes His people severely not out of pettiness, but because of His justice & jealousy for their good.

Deuteronomy 32:23–27 (ESV) — 23 “ ‘And I will heap disasters upon them; I will spend my arrows on them; 24 they shall be wasted with hunger, and devoured by plague and poisonous pestilence; I will send the teeth of beasts against them, with the venom of things that crawl in the dust. 25 Outdoors the sword shall bereave, and indoors terror, for young man and woman alike, the nursing child with the man of gray hairs. 26 I would have said, “I will cut them to pieces; I will wipe them from human memory,” 27 had I not feared provocation by the enemy, lest their adversaries should misunderstand, lest they should say, “Our hand is triumphant, it was not the LORD who did all this.” ’

1) What’s the pettiest story of revenge you’ve ever heard (or carried out yourself…)

2) Is the Lord being petty in punishing His people? What trait does this punishment reveal instead?

3) Does the New Testament talk about the purpose of either punishment or kindness from God? Discuss.

4) Ask for the Lord to gently correct you and restore you, lest you be crushed by His perfect justice.

Friday (8/21/2026)

The Lord who delivers His people provides for them abundantly.

Joel 2:24–27 (ESV) — 24 “The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. 25 I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. 26 “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. 27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame.

1) What was the last meal that filled you up in a good way? What about a meal that disappointed?

2) What commandment does v.27 remind you of? Why does this “aboveness” of God take such priority?

3) How is following after idols like eating a bad meal? How is following the One true God like eating a perfect feast?

4) List out some practical ways this week that you can dwell on God’s Word, partake in the bread of life, & grow.

Saturday (8/22/2026)

The restoration of the image of God happens as we are united to Christ, our head, and our fellow saints, the body.

Ephesians 1:19–23 (ESV) — 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

1) How long can you stand on your head for? Why can’t we live upside down? (blood rushes to head)

2) If we don’t have Christ as head on top of us, what will happen? (We die, since head designed to be on top OR we will be cut off, since the true head doesn’t tolerate us trying to lower Him to raise ourselves up)

3) Ask Christ to rule over your life, the lives of your family and congregation, and to equip you as His body.

Sunday (8/23/2026) – Prayer and Praise Requests

1) Keep our students and teachers in your prayers as the school year starts up. Encourage them if you see them!

2) Pray for all those recovering from illness, surgery, and even grief. Ask for God to comfort them.

3) Lift up the Church across the world, especially our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for their faith.

4) Ask for discernment in how best to serve others around you using the gifts God has given you.

5) Ask for God to turn the hearts of leaders (local and national) back to Himself through Christ.

Food, fellowship, games, and a lesson time in God’s Word. Invite a friend or two to join in on the fun.

“From all this, there may evidently be inferred the absolute necessity of the new birth, and of the daily renovation of our mind into the image of God.”

— Johann Arndt, True Christianity

CTK Family Devotions Week #154

Main Topic: Restoring God’s Image (14/19) — (True Christianity Book 1, Chapter 41)

Monday (8/24/2026)

The restoration of God’s image isn’t a superficial thing, but a regeneration worked by faith in the external Word.

Romans 4:9–12 (ESV) — 9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

1) How much time do you spend on an average morning making yourself look presentable? Why?

2) Paul makes it clear that circumcision (a mark of the old covenant) was merely a confirmation of an already existing faith. By what means today does God both create & sustain faith? (Word, including baptism & Lord’s supper)

3) Knowing the power of the Word, should you spend time worrying about trying to make yourself “look” like a Christian, or receiving God’s gifts in Word and sacrament frequently? Explain how you can do that this week.

Tuesday (8/25/2026)

The radical difference between the world and Christ might lead some to mock your faith, actions, and hope.

Matthew 9:18–26 (ESV) — 18 While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. 20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, 21 for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. 23 And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went through all that district.

1) What was something dumb someone else did that you laughed at recently? How about something dumb you did?

2) What are “unreasonable” things in this text? (Touching clothes to heal, raising the dead, etc.) What resulted from each? How?

3) Ask the Lord that His will would be done, even if it seems far too wonderful or way beyond what should be expected.

Wednesday (8/26/2026)

Only in Christ is there hope for gentiles, since apart from His work we would be cut off forever.

Nehemiah 13:1–3 (ESV) — 1 On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, 2 for they did not meet the people of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them—yet our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 As soon as the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent.

1) What’s your family heritage? How many generations back can you go, & which people groups / nations are represented?

2) Was it cruel for God to keep Israel from other nations? Why’d He command their separation? (That they wouldn’t turn to idols)

3) Since Christ broke down the barrier between nations & united us as His body, what are we called to separate from? (world)

4) What does being set apart from the world in Christ look like in your life now? In 5 years? 25 years? Eternally?

Prayer or praise requests that you want featured for next week? Text or call Pastor Joe any time!

Thursday (8/27/2026)

Trusting in perverse ideologies and false gods will cause a harvest of wickedness and destruction to spring up.

Deuteronomy 32:28–33 (ESV) — 28 “For they are a nation void of counsel, and there is no understanding in them. 29 If they were wise, they would understand this; they would discern their latter end! 30 How could one have chased a thousand, and two have put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had given them up? 31 For their rock is not as our Rock; our enemies are by themselves. 32 For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of poison; their clusters are bitter; 33 their wine is the poison of serpents and the cruel venom of asps.

1) When was the last time you had to weed the yard, garden, or field? What makes keeping weeds out so hard?

2) In what ways are false teachings like weeds? What sort of lies that grew in Sodom still grow today? (Violence, immorality, etc.)

3) Ask for God to be merciful by pointing out sin in your life & the lives of those near us & then perfectly forgiving that sin.

Friday (8/28/2026)

The revealed hope of the nations is Christ who has sent out His messengers in these last days.

Joel 2:28–32 (ESV) — 28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.

1) Race to see who can find where these verses are quoted in a sermon in the New Testament. What was that sermon’s context?

2) For all of the wonders listed, what’re the most amazing outcomes of this prophecy? (Spirit poured out & all who call on Lord saved)

3) Are these promises still at work? What then should we proclaim to ourselves & others? (Jesus saves, Spirit empowers)

Saturday (8/29/2026)

Our vocational ties give us clear frameworks in which we are to love sacrificially.

Ephesians 6:1–4 (ESV) — 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

1) Your callings in life (vocations) come in pairs. What is the featured pair in this passage? (Parents & children)

2) What are the duties of children toward parents? How about parents toward children? Do you fulfill these duties?

3) For times that you’ve failed as parent or child, ask for forgiveness, then be strengthened in Christ’s mercy to go out and serve not just in this family tie, but in every calling you’ve been entrusted with (spouse, employee, citizen, student, congregation member, etc.)

Sunday (8/30/2026) – Prayer and Praise Requests

1) Keep our students and teachers in your prayers as the school year starts up. Encourage them if you see them!

2) Pray for all those recovering from illness, surgery, and even grief. Ask for God to comfort them.

3) Lift up the Church across the world, especially our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for their faith.

4) Ask for discernment in how best to serve others around you using the gifts God has given you.

5) Ask for God to turn the hearts of leaders (local and national) back to Himself through Christ.

No studies tonight.

Keep an eye out for Fall scheduling plans!

(Tentative: youth on 9/13+27, with Forge for 5th and 6th graders on 9/20, intergenerational on 10/4)

“From this it plainly appears, that the spiritual life, consisting in holy love and truth, is in the carnal or natural man utterly abolished.”

— Johann Arndt, True Christianity

CTK Family Devotions Week #155

Main Topic: Restoring God’s Image (15/19) — (True Christianity Book 1, Chapter 41)

Monday (8/31/2026)

God alone has the power through His Word to restore His image in us who have no hope apart from Christ.

Romans 4:13–17 (ESV) — 13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

1) What’s something that you made that you’re very proud of? What materials did you use? Who made the materials?

2) Re-read v17. How does God calling you to faith fulfill this and echo the creation of the world out of nothing?

3) Where should you turn when you have times of doubt: to your own efforts OR to the forgiveness & grace of Christ? Why?

Tuesday (9/1/2026)

The restoration of the image of God begins with a Spirit-given faith in the authority and goodness of Christ.

Matthew 9:27–31 (ESV) — 27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.” 31 But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.

1) Thinking through what we discussed yesterday, what first brought faith to these blind men? (Word, as in reports about Jesus)

2) Did the blind men sin by telling others about Jesus? Discuss.

3) Do we sin when we don’t tell others about Jesus, even though He has told us to? Discuss, then pray for boldness.

Wednesday (9/2/2026)

A fierce jealousy for the house of God should move us to cleanse ourselves & our congregations from all sin.

Nehemiah 13:6–11 (ESV) — 6 While this was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. And after some time I asked leave of the king 7 and came to Jerusalem, and I then discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. 8 And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber. 9 Then I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense. 10 I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each to his field. 11 So I confronted the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their stations.

1) Re-read v6. Does it sound like Nehemiah was faithfully honoring his boss and using “time off” well? Discuss.

2) Re-read v8. What action of Christ does this remind you of? (Cleansing of temple) Why did both men do this cleansing?

3) In what ways do we make the physical house of God “too comfortable” that we don’t have awe at God & His Word?

4) In what ways do we neglect to care for the body of Christ as the house of God and thus need restoration?

Prayer or praise requests that you want featured for next week? Text or call Pastor Joe any time!

Thursday (9/3/2026)

An important work of the Lord is destroying our idols that our trust might be in Him alone.

Deuteronomy 32:34–38 (ESV) — 34 “ ‘Is not this laid up in store with me, sealed up in my treasuries? 35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’ 36 For the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone and there is none remaining, bond or free. 37 Then he will say, ‘Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge, 38 who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you; let them be your protection!

1) An idol is anything that you fear, love, or trust in more than God. What were Israel’s idols? Your community’s idols? Yours?

2) Why is it a gracious thing for the Lord to destroy our idols? (They can’t save) Come up with a verbal illustration to explain.

3) Ask the Lord to rid you of the idols of your heart, even if it would hurt, so that He alone might be your King.

Friday (9/4/2026)

The restoration of God’s people will be accompanied with the judgment of the wicked on the Day of the Lord.

Joel 3:1–3 (ESV) — 1 “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, 3 and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.

1) What’s the worst you’ve ever been losing at a game? (Broke in Monopoly, behind in Sorry, no chips in poker, etc.) Did you come back? How?

2) What was the worst situation the Israelites found themselves in? How did God restore them? How about the church?

3) What alone can withstand the judgment of God? (Righteousness of Christ) Is this then the marker of God’s people? Why?

Saturday (9/5/2026)

Even in flawed or broken systems, the faithfulness of believers is to be demonstrated through practical service.

Ephesians 6:5–9 (ESV) — 5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. 9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

1) Even though slavery is outlawed, in what ways might we be “bound” to serving others through our work?

2) Even in the case of slaves, what was to define believers on both sides? How did this lead the push for the end of slavery?

3) List out practical ways in which you can serve your employer & customers faithfully (or prepare to do so)

4) Pray that the saints you are gathering with tomorrow to be willing to call you out if you have not been serving well.

Sunday (9/6/2026) – Prayer and Praise Requests

1) Keep our students and teachers in your prayers as the school year starts up. Encourage them if you see them!

2) Pray for all those recovering from illness, surgery, and even grief. Ask for God to comfort them.

3) Lift up the Church across the world, especially our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for their faith.

4) Ask for discernment in how best to serve others around you using the gifts God has given you.

5) Ask for God to turn the hearts of leaders (local and national) back to Himself through Christ.

No studies tonight due to Labor Day

Please be in prayer for all those travelling, as well as for Fall activities starting soon!

“As the devil relies on his own strength and wisdom, and thereby entirely governs himself; so fallen man, being infected with the contagion of Satan, acts in conformity with him; and will always be his own counsellor and master.”

— Johann Arndt, True Christianity

CTK Family Devotions Week #156

Main Topic: Restoring God’s Image (16/19) — (True Christianity Book 1, Chapter 41)

Monday (9/7/2026)

The gift of faith that begins the restoration of the image of God in us is a remarkable, active, and confident thing.

Romans 4:18–25 (ESV) — 18 In hope [Abraham] believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

1) What times have you felt most confident in God? How about least confident? Has He been faithful either way?

2) What sort of promises has God made that directly affect you? How many are connected to Christ?

3) This week, spend extra time in your personal devotions looking for God’s past promises & promises for you.

Tuesday (9/8/2026)

The economy of grace is so entirely different than man-made religion that God’s work is often slandered as evil.

Matthew 9:32–34 (ESV) — 32 As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”

1) Have you ever witnessed someone do something so amazing that you were shocked/surprised/stunned? Share

2) Considering they knew the Scriptures well, why were the Pharisees so quick to blaspheme the work of Christ?

3) Ask God to protect you for dead formalism, legalism, & from rejecting His Holy Spirit who works through His Word.

Wednesday (9/9/2026)

As God restores us through Christ, we should long to faithfully serve Him & equip others to serve Him.

Nehemiah 13:11–14 (ESV) — 11 So I confronted the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their stations. 12 Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. 13 And I appointed as treasurers over the storehouses Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and as their assistant Hanan the son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, for they were considered reliable, and their duty was to distribute to their brothers. 14 Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.

1) Who are the top 3 trustworthy people you know? How about the 3 least trustworthy? How did you decide?

2) When dealing with offerings set apart for the Lord, is integrity even more important? How can it be shown?

3) Since we are God’s house, think of ways that you can reliably serve fellow believers this week with your gifts.

Have requests for food or activities for this week’s youth-only study at CTK? Let Pastor Joe know!

Thursday (9/10/2026)

The power of God is incomparable: He is truly almighty.

Deuteronomy 32:39–42 (ESV) — 39 “ ‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. 40 For I lift up my hand to heaven and swear, As I live forever, 41 if I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and will repay those who hate me. 42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh— with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the long-haired heads of the enemy.’

1) Who is the physically strongest person you know? Mentally? Emotionally? Spiritually? How did you decide?

2) Does the Lord have authority to do all the things listed in v39? Why? Is this good news or bad news?

3) Ask for a humble heart that submits to the Lord and His ways, not one that seeks to usurp His authority.

Friday (9/11/2026)

The Lord will repay those who oppose, oppress, and revile His people.

Joel 3:4–8 (ESV) — 4 “What are you to me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you paying me back for something? If you are paying me back, I will return your payment on your own head swiftly and speedily. 5 For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples. 6 You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them far from their own border. 7 Behold, I will stir them up from the place to which you have sold them, and I will return your payment on your own head. 8 I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a nation far away, for the LORD has spoken.”

1) Have you witnessed anyone “get what they deserved” recently, such as a speeder being pulled over, etc.? How’d it make you feel?

2) While there is debate about when Joel prophesied, what years in history might fit best based on these events?

3) Considering the centuries of God’s faithfulness, do you think He will stop caring about His church now or not give out justice when He returns in glory? How does that shape all that you think, say, do, &s aim for in this life?

Saturday (9/12/2026)

The ongoing restoration of God’s image and all of creation means that there will be conflict with dark forces.

Ephesians 6:10–12 (ESV) — 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

1) What’s your favorite fictional story (book, movie, etc.) about good vs. evil? What real ideas do they get right or wrong?

2) Where does our strength come from? What is that strength to then be used for?

3) Ask the Lord to equip you and your fellow saints for battle tomorrow through His Word & sacraments!

Sunday (9/13/2026) – Prayer and Praise Requests

1) Keep our students and teachers in your prayers as the school year starts up. Encourage them if you see them!

2) Pray for all those recovering from illness, surgery, and even grief. Ask for God to comfort them.

3) Lift up the Church across the world, especially our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted for their faith.

4) Ask for discernment in how best to serve others around you using the gifts God has given you.

5) Ask for God to turn the hearts of leaders (local and national) back to Himself through Christ.

Food, fellowship, games, and a lesson time in God’s Word. Invite a friend or two to join in on the fun.

NEXT week (9/20) will be out first Forge group meeting of the year for 5th and 6th graders!

“As God found in the creation of man, a holy pleasure, and delighted in him, as in his image; so also man would, in like manner, have been sensible of a most pure and exquisite joy in the procreation of his like, for it would have been the propagation of God’s image. But, alas! Satan has polluted this chaste flame of conjugal love with all uncleanness.”

— Johann Arndt, True Christianity

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