GOD MATH: A Family DevotionalSample

1 + 1 + 1

If I have one potato chip, one French fry, and one mashed potato, how many pieces of food do I have on my plate? Three, of course. They’re all made from potatoes, but when I add up 1 + 1 + 1, they still make 3.

But with God, it’s a little different. We have God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and when you add them up, 1 + 1 + 1 makes…1.

We call this the Holy Trinity because we believe in only 1 God, but 3 persons. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit aren’t parts of God or different faces God shows us, but all persons with unique roles. The Father is not the Son, and neither are they the Holy Spirit. And yet, all together they’re just one God.

Confused yet? That’s ok. Just like with Jesus being 100% God and 100% human, it’s not supposed to make sense to our human brains. If God made complete sense to us, would he really be God? So when Jesus told his followers to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, he was giving them a hint about this creative and unexpected and unbelievably amazing aspect of God.

Conversation Starters:

•Can you think of any other God Math equations for God?

•What would happen if we didn’t have the Holy Spirit? How would your faith be different?

Prayer prompt:

Invite the Holy Spirit to work in your life, just like he worked in the lives of the early Christians.