"as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." (1 Peter 2:2-3)

Have you ever eaten Rice Krispies cereal? When you pour milk over the cereal, they make fun sounds—snap, crackle, and pop! The sounds are exciting to listen to, and they mean that something new is happening.

In the same way, when someone first believes in Jesus, their heart overflows with joy, just like Rice Krispies cereal bursting with sounds. That joy is like the “snap, crackle, and pop” of our faith.

When people first fall in love or get married, they feel super happy and excited too. But, those strong feelings don’t last forever. Whether it’s with God or with someone we love, feelings alone aren’t enough to keep the relationship strong.

To keep our faith in God strong, we have to keep growing in our Christian lives. God wants to be fully involved in every moment of our lives.

Little by little, hearing God speak to us through the Bible, talking to Him in prayer, worshipping and serving Him and each other both in and out of church, our love for God will remain firm and solid.

If we stop doing these things, we can become like soggy Rice Krispies—soft, bland, and no longer full of snap, crackle, and pop.

When we think only about ourselves and not about God or others, we lose joy. When we keep learning about God and remembering Him and His love everyday, our hearts stay full with His goodness and light.

God’s love never runs out. Every morning, it’s brand new! When we love God and each other with God's love, we will do whatever it takes to make sure the “snap, crackle, and pop” never stops.

Family Altar

Use these discussion questions and our prayer as a guide for your family altar.

Parents can lead the prayer and invite their children to repeat after them or encourage their children to take the lead, making family altar time a shared journey of faith.

Discussion Questions:

• What are some creative ways you can grow in the knowledge of God's word everyday?

• What can you do to make sure your love for God never stops increasing?

• How can you show love and kindness to the people around you, like your family and friends?

Prayer in Words:

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray.

Thank You, Lord, for loving us long before we even knew how to love.

A lot of times, because we cannot really understand Your heart for us,

We fail to repay Your love for us.

Through Your Holy Spirit and Your Word,

Keep our faith and obedience to You new everyday.

All glory be given unto You.

Hallelujah, Amen.