Family Devotional 101 (Part 1 of 4)

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, I'm going to take on a couple of different topics that will require some length. So, I'll break it into "bite-size" chunks!

Family Devotional 101 (Part 1)

The Question:

Should a family do devotions together? Why is it so important? Can you give me some tips on how to do this with a family that has so many different age kids who aren’t on the same level? Is it okay to do individual devotions for our children or do we need to find a time to do it all together?

Why should my family have a devotional time

If a child’s parents are supposed to be the #1 spiritually-shaping influence in a child’s life, then there are some things that are absolutely necessary. One of which is a consistent time where the Scriptures are opened, discussed, and applied. There is no way that parents can do raise spiritually healthy children effectively without it. Church attendance is not enough. Listening to Christian radio or CD’s is not enough. Even forcing them to watch TBN isn’t enough (that’s a joke…please don’t do that). How can you pass down the faith, a love for the Scriptures, and a passion for our Heavenly Father, if you never spend any consistent time talking about those things and modeling how that’s done?

One of the easiest ways to do this is to have a daily and intentional time where the things of God are discussed. Children are forming habits that will last them a lifetime. Imagine if from the earliest days a child can remember, they remember a daily time where they heard God’s word or talked about how amazing God is. I have a sneaking suspicion that those particular children will have a better shot at developing a daily time with God for themselves later on in life. It also must be intentional. Time with God doesn’t just happen by accident. If you don’t plan or make a plan, it’s just not going to happen.

The reality is that most families (please don’t hear a guilt trip here…I’m just pointing out realities for the average American family) spend more time talking about their children’s extra curricular activities (soccer, dance, etc.) or a particular TV show than they spend talking about God. The average family gets more “excited” watching a football game or other sporting event than they do when God reveals a little more of Himself to them. Now, I know that all of our families are the exception, but I’m just asking you to think about what we give our energies toward.

More coming later in the week!