When you are looking for ways to impress God’s Word on your children and to teach them the valuable knowledge that is contained so that generations can be blessed by it, start by developing the habit of family devotions. It is an excellent opportunity to teach and train them how to react appropriately, in a non-confrontational setting, before the “need to know” presents itself. It is also an awesome way to help them understand the loving nature of our heavenly Father and the amazing sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Of course, this kind of training and instruction goes on at church, but it should not just be left up to the children’s pastor and the youth pastor!
In fact, as parents we are commanded to do this in Bible.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.So in order to develop the habit of regular devotions here are some ideas:
Dedicate a regular time to read and discuss God’s Word and pray together with your children. Start with a reasonable frequency. If your schedule permits, do it every day. If not, start with less frequency. But wherever you start, commit to do it and don’t miss for anything. Put this opportunity for your children to know God above anything else. Then, make it your goal to increase the frequency regularly until you are doing family devotions every day.
It may help you develop that habit if you use the same location in your home when you do the devotions. We like to do them around the kitchen table, after breakfast in the morning and before everyone starts off to school.
Make it fun. Mix things up. Take turns reading. Use different materials. Maybe one day, dad reads a story from the Bible and mom asks questions and one of the children prays. The next day, if your child can read, have them read from a devotional or an illustrated Bible story book and let dad ask questions and mom pray.
As you discuss these stories with your children, make sure that they understand:
The choices that the characters were faced with.
The principle that is illustrated in the story.
How it applies to their lives today.
Then, after the discussion is over make sure to pray. Or you can have your children pray. It is vitally important that they learn to do this on their own as well. Have them ask God to help them apply what they just learned in their lives.
Now if you haven’t practiced this on a regular basis in your family, there may be times when you don’t feel like doing the devotions and you may even get some resistance from your children. But don’t give in to that temptation. Don’t allow yourself to “just skip this one time.” Teach your children to cherish God’s Word and have a hunger for reading it, discussing it and learning from it.
Why you may ask? I leave you with the wisdom of the Lord God Almighty Himself from the book of Proverbs, the entire second chapter.
Proverbs 2
1 My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, 2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; 3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, 4 If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; 8 He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints. 9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path. 10 When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, 11 Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things, 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who rejoice in doing evil, And delight in the perversity of the wicked; 15 Whose ways are crooked, And who are devious in their paths; 16 To deliver you from the immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters with her words, 17 Who forsakes the companion of her youth, And forgets the covenant of her God. 18 For her house leads down to death, And her paths to the dead; 19 None who go to her return, Nor do they regain the paths of life- 20 So you may walk in the way of goodness, And keep to the paths of righteousness. 21 For the upright will dwell in the land, And the blameless will remain in it; 22 But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.