WHY this family devotional guide?
In Scripture we see that parents are entrusted with the task of discipling their children through teaching them the Word of God. And to do so with regularity and consistency (c.f. Deut 6:1-9). When this happens, the Gospel multiplies generations of believers who are firm and wise in their faith (c.f. 2 Timothy 3:14-17).
As a ministry, we are deeply passionate about helping our families fulfill this command with joy. This devotional guide is one resource (among many others that we will be introducing) that we pray will create opportunities for parents to do this well.
The ultimate goal of this guide is to help families build familiarity with the Word and to build a culture of family worship.
[2 Timothy 3:14–17]
[Deuteronomy 6:1–9]
“Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you...
And these words that command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (ESV)
“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. “ (ESV)
HOW do we start family worship?
Some starting principles and suggestions for building a culture of family worship
We recognize that for some, the idea of ‘family worship’ may seem foreign, or even daunting. But it doesn’t have to be!
As mentioned earlier, the purpose of this guide is to help families build a familiarity with the word, and build a culture of family worship.
Build a FAMILIARITY WITH THE WORD (next steps)
1 : As a family, choose one method of study (we encourage you try the 7 arrows method!) and one reading plan to follow (We encourage you to follow along with whatever congregational reading plan we’re currently going through!)
2 : Throughout the week, encourage and remind one another to do daily devotions (or do them together!)
3 : Have each member of the family record their devotional reflections using whatever means their most comfortable with! (E.g. physical journals, note-taking apps, Bible.com, etc.)
Build a CULTURE OF FAMILY WORSHIP (next steps)
1 : During your scheduled family worship time, refer back to your devotional reflections for your DISCUSSION component - It’s up to you as a family to decide how much each person shares during the sharing portion. For families with young children, your time may simply look like mom and dad sharing something they learned this week!
2 : Build a plan for your family worship time (BELOW) and commit to this process as a family!
FIND THE BEST TIME - find a time of the day or night that works for everyone in your family when everyone can be functional and focused.
MEET AT THE SAME TIME - be sure to schedule in your family worship time - into your calendars if needed! - the goal isn’t to be rigid but to be consistent.
MEET IN THE SAME PLACE - whether it be the kitchen, dining room, or bedroom, consistency helps - especially for young children.
START SLOW - for many of us, this may be a new habit to develop, so be gracious as you begin and come into the process with reasonable expectations for the depth of your sharing.
MAKE IT BRIEF - Your first few times may only be a few minutes long - that’s okay! As this habit increases, your time together will also increase in both quantity and quality.
MAKE IT A PRIORITY - as much as possible, safeguard this time over other commitments and busyness in order to establish a committed culture of family worship.
BE FLEXIBLE - with everything above said, be gracious and not unnecessarily inflexible with regards to this time - do your best and start somewhere!
MODEL THE RIGHT ATTITUDE - parents, model for your children the attitude you want them to take on during this time so that this culture of family worship can become a joyful time that children look forward to!
PERSEVERE - no matter what happens after you commit to this process, keep going! Perseverance is the best remedy in the middle of unforeseen life situations. And it will reap incredible future fruit.
HOW should we spend our time together?
Some suggested breakdowns for your family worship time
While there isn’t one perfect way to compose your time, the following is a diagram that outlines a few suggested breakdowns based on how much total time you are committing to spending each session2. But at the end of the day, do what works best for your family. The goal is to simply develop a routine that you’ll want to do more and more together!
MINUTES
10:00-15:00
15:00-20:00
20:00-30:00
Share prayer requests and pray for one another
Share reflections from your week of Bible reading
Choose a worship song to sing together as a family
Commit to memorizing one passage of scripture together as a family
2 This breakdown is adapted from suggestions found in Jason Helopoulos’ article on ‘thegospelcoalition.org’ entitled ‘Worship with Your Family in 5, 15, or 30 Minutes.’ Dated October 4, 2022.
