Sharing Family Devotions
Ephesians 6:4 (NIV): "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."
The Bible is pretty clear that we are to bring out kids up in the instruction of the Lord. It is our job as parents to ensure that we take every opportunity to teach. There are few better ways to do this than leading your family in family devotions. Many men (and women) struggle in the area of family devotions. We all know we need to do it, understand the importance of doing it and want to teach scriptures to our kids, but often, we let things get in the way. You may feel like you don't know the scriptures enough to teach your kids or you may not feel like you have enough time or <insert any excuse for not doing this here>. Be encouraged. Family devotions are easier than you think and the rewards are beyond measure! Remember the goal here is to spend time with your kids teaching them about God through His Word. There is no right or perfect way to do this and know that God will honor your commitment to being obedient to Him.
Family devotions do not have to be complicated. Typically, there are three parts: reading of the Bible (or a devotional book) with brief discussion, prayer and worship (singing praise and worship songs or hymns).
- The Word is the best place to start your devotional time. Pick a book from the Bible and start to read. Start with one of the Gospels if you have not done this before. It does not matter how old your kids are, reading the Word together will model for them this discipline that they should maintain their entire lives. The older your kids get, the more you can read in one sitting. If you prefer, you can read a daily devotional which includes scripture verses. After you read, take a few minutes to discuss what you have just read. It does need to be a lecture or discourse, just a discussion on what was meant and the possible application.
- Prayer is an important part of family devotions. It is important to model prayer for your kids. Each person should take turns praying so everyone can pray. You can ask for prayer requests or have a specific prayer focus (missionaries, friends or classmates).
- Praise and worship gives your family devotion time an added dimension drawing you closer to God. You can put in a CD and sing along or have a family member who is musically inclined play an instrument while you all sing. For those who are not musically savvy, you can get online and search for various praise and worship songs with lyrics. The type of music is not as important as the act of doing it.
- Here are some ideas for devotional books you can do together:
- Josh McDowell's One Year Book of Family Devotions: A Daily Devotional for Passing Biblical Values to the Next Generation – Reinforces the need for applying the Scriptures to everyday decisions. Each of the 365 readings includes a story situation that deals with a contemporary issue and helps families think through how to make the right choices in a particular situation. At the end of each reading is a helpful feature that encourages families to pray, invites them to discuss the issue further, or gives them a practical task to perform.
- One Year of Dinner Table Devotions & Discussion Starters: 365 Opportunities to Grow Closer to God as a Family – As your family meal comes to a close, family members can take turns turning to the dinner-table devotion for that day, designed to be done together as a family in 10 to 15 minutes. The result is a meaningful daily discussion in which every family member can participate.
- Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence – Daily devotional written by missionary Sarah Young written from Jesus' point of view. There is also a kids version (Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions for Kids) and a Bible (Jesus Calling Devotional Bible).
- Step into The Bible: 100 Bible Stories for Family Devotions – Ruth Graham's timeless stories that she and her husband Billy have used in raising their children broken into 10 minute devotionals designed to share the core elements of the Christian faith.