Family Devotional: Come and Stay

This week the page grows out of “Come and Stay,” from Acts 16:11–15. The heart of it is this: when God opens our hearts to Jesus, we open our homes to other people. Paul and his friends sailed across the sea and found a few women praying by a river, and while one of them, Lydia, listened to Paul talk about Jesus, the Lord opened her heart. Right away she was baptized and said to Paul and his friends, come to my house and stay. The line your table will be sitting with is the one from Sunday morning: opened hearts open homes. Read together, talk together, pray together, sing together. Here is this week's page. Come and Stay Family Devotional · Acts 16:11–15 · October 18, 2026 This page works two ways: as one ten-minute sitting at the table, or as five short Monday-to-Friday steps from the same page. There is no wrong way. This week's Big Idea When God opens our hearts to Jesus, we open our lives to other people. Memory verse “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” Acts 16:14 (ESV) 1. READ Read Acts 16:11–15 out loud. Stay on this one passage all week. Monday: verses 11–12. Paul and his friends sail straight across the sea to a big city called Philippi. Tuesday: verse 13. There is no crowd waiting, only a few women praying by a river. Wednesday: verse 14. Lydia already prays to God, and she listens to Paul. Thursday: verse 14 again. The Lord opens her heart to hear about Jesus. Friday: verse 15. Lydia is baptized and says, come to my house and stay. 2. THINK Lydia prayed to God every week, but she did not yet know Jesus. While she listened to Paul tell about Jesus, the Lord opened her heart so she could see Him and trust Him. Jesus opened His Father's house to us when He died for sinners and rose again, and when He opens our hearts, we want to open our homes too. 3. TALK You do not need to ask them all. For young children: Where were the women when Paul found them, and what were they doing? For school-age children: Lydia went to prayer every week, but she still needed God to open her heart. Why can we not open our own hearts to Jesus? For teens: Lydia was sincere and religious, and she still needed the Lord to open her heart. If someone asked you whether the Lord has opened your heart to Jesus, what would you honestly say? For the whole table: Jesus opened His home to us. Who could we open our home to this month? 4. DO Do this: Pick one person or family from church and invite them over for a meal sometime in the next month. Let the children help plan one part of it: the food, the table, or a game to play together. It does not need to be fancy. A table and a conversation is enough. Another way to do this: Make a welcome card for one person from church. Write “Come and stay” on the front and draw your door on the inside, then hand it to that person at church next Sunday. 5. PRAY Father, thank You that Jesus died for sinners and rose again, and that He opened Your house to people who did not deserve it. Please open the heart of every person at this table who does not yet trust Jesus, and grow the ones who do. Make our home a glad, open place for others, because You opened Yours to us first. In Jesus' name, Amen. 6. SING All I Have Is Christ. It sings that we would never have come to God if He had not loved us first, and that a life Jesus has saved now belongs to Him. That is Lydia's story: the Lord opened her heart, and she gave Him her home. If no one wants to sing, read the first verse out loud instead. One faith talk this week is a win.