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We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Have you ever heard of something called minimalism? That’s when people try to live with only the things they really need, not a bunch of extra stuff. For example, a minimalist might have just a few outfits in their closet, not tons of clothes. Their garage or room might look really clean and simple.

Some people are minimalists with their money—they only buy what they need. Some are minimalists with their time, they don’t sign up for everything, just what matters most. Some even live without furniture! (Can you imagine sitting on the floor all the time?) But no matter how they do it, the big idea is this: you don’t need a lot to be okay.

And guess what? Jesus talked about this too! In Luke 10:42, Jesus said, “Only one thing is needed.” Just one! So, what is it? Is it food? Water? Air? Those things are important . . . but Jesus says there’s something even more important. It’s the gospel.

The gospel means “good news.” It’s the simple and powerful message that Jesus is your Savior. That’s the one thing we need more than anything else in life!

Why is the gospel so important? Look at what it gives you (Colossians 1 tells us all this!):

That’s a lot of amazing stuff from one simple message!

But most of all, the gospel gives you Jesus. Jesus is the one thing you really need. He loves you so much that he died for your sins and promises to bring you to heaven. Jesus is everything. And that’s what the gospel gives you.

Dear Jesus, thank you for being the one thing I need most. Help me always trust the gospel about you. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

Questions for Elementary Age Children

Questions for Middle School and Above

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