Edited by Anna Joy Lowell

Transcription

1 Edited by Anna Joy Lowell

2 Copyright C 2016 by Anna Joy Lowell All Rights Reserved. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Laws. This E book is intended for single family use only. It may not be reproduced or transmitted outside of your immediate family without permission from the author. All posts, interviews, and articles used by permission from the authors. Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. ( Backgrounds Copyright 2011 Current Sonya DeHart All Rights Reserved.

3 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons 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 up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You. Psalm 119:9-11 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:

4 Can we talk honestly for a moment about family devotions? I don t know of any other topic that can make Christian parents feel like failures as quickly as the topic of family devotions. Because we have ALL FAILED time and time again in this area. If you are a Christian parent, you know that teaching your kids about the God of the Bible is the most important thing you could do in your parenting. There s no question about this. But yet, many times our mornings are too hectic to possibly squeeze in a couple of minutes of Bible reading. Many nights go by when we are just too exhausted from our busy days to put in the emotional, mental, and physical energy to pull the Bible off the shelf and share God s truths with our children. And, far too often, these Bible-less days and nights turn into weeks, months, and even years. Many of us have grown up in homes where family devotions were not practiced. We don t know where to start. The whole things seems completely overwhelming. Others of us have been discouraged by kids who are less than enthusiastic and a spouse who is less than supportive. And, many of us would equate 10 minutes of Bible reading with our 5 year old sitting still and our 13 year old refraining from rolling her eyes as a miracle on par with the parting of the Red Sea. If you have experienced any of these frustrations, let me to assure you that I am right there with you. I have struggled with trying to lead family devotions by myself because my husband had to work late again! I have struggled with kids who didn t want to sit and listen. (And, there s nothing like losing your patience with your kids because THEY WON'T SIT STILL TO LEARN FROM THE BIBLE! Arghhhhh! It s a great testimony, let me assure you.) I have struggled with being unable to find solidly Biblical resources that are engaging. And exhaustion? Don t even get me started. 2

5 Sometimes it feels like the moment we try to teach our children God s truths, Satan unleashes every obstacle he can think of. And, should we be surprised by that? Of course not! Because here's the truth: When those Bible-less days are flying by and we neglect to intentionally teach our kids from the Bible, Satan has us right where he wants. We have our faith, but we aren t passing it on to our kids and Satan is thrilled. On the other hand, Satan is truly threatened when Christian families start studying God s Word together. He will make it as difficult as possible. If I were to die tomorrow, I would want to know that I had used the few days of my life teaching my kids about the most amazing, earth shattering, and eternally important story ever written The story of God s redemption of His people. Nothing else on my to do list compares to that! And, as much as Satan wants me convinced otherwise, teaching my kids from God s Word is really not that difficult. So, let me ask you: Would your family benefit from routinely coming together to discuss God s truths? How would your children s lives be changed by hearing about God s love and plan of salvation over and over again from you? 3

6 How would your relationship with your children and your spouse improve if you were regularly seeking to grow in your faith together? How would your family values, priorities, and schedules change if you were truly on fire spiritually? How would your relationship with your kids change if you were able to confidently teach them God s truths? And, what might your life and the lives of your children look like if you don t make the Bible a priority in your home? Here s the first step to making family Bible study a priority in your home today: Pray. Pray and ask God to press the importance of family Bible study onto your heart and your spouse's heart. Pray and ask God to change the hearts and attitudes of the people in your family who are resistant to family devotions. Pray and ask God to convict you of the areas of your life that are keeping you too busy and too distracted to be able to focus on family Bible study. Pray and ask God for wisdom to help you make family devotions a reality in your home and family. Will you commit to praying for these things today? Anna Joy Lowell is the blogger behind Path Through the Narrow Gate. She is passionate about helping families discover that family Bible study is not only doable, but also enjoyable. You can learn more at Path Through the Narrow Gate.com 4

7 Family devotions is not something that most Christians talk about very often. We really don't want to admit how badly we are struggling in this area. We figure that everyone else has this figured out. We envision other families sitting around a piano, singing the Doxology, followed by 30 minutes of intense Bible reading, an altar call, and a salvation testimony from the six year old. And, when our own family devotions time dissolves into barely contained chaos, we figure that there must be something wrong with our families. In this book, we are going to talk honestly about family devotions. You are going to be invited into real homes to experience real devotions with real families. You will learn practical tips on how to make family devotions a reality in your own family. And, you will be encouraged as you read about how other people have overcome the same struggles that you are facing. For example, you will get practical tips on how to start having family devotions from Jenn Thorson. You will read about Carisa Hinson's ingenious solution to encourage her active preschool boys to sit still for family devotions. You will be encouraged as you hear about Latoya Edwards' struggle with consistency and the practices that have helped her to become more consistent in family devotions. You will appreciate Kayse Pratt's advice on how to have family devotions with active toddlers. You will be challenged by Jackie Bledsoe's reminder of the importance that our relationships play in teaching our kids about our faith. And, you will join Donald Whitney as he looks back at the touching legacy that his family's devotions time resulted in. I pray that, by the time you finish this book, you will be inspired to put this encouragement and these ideas into practice in your own family. Let's get started! 5

8 The Table of Questions 1. My family never did "family devotions" when I was growing up. Where do I even start? (Jenn Thorson) Page 8 2. I want to start having family devotions. Do you have any suggestions to help me get started? (Donald S. Whitney) Page Why should we make family devotions a priority in our home? (Leigh Ann Dutton) Page Why should we make family devotions a priority in our home? (Mark Dutton) Page I have tried to have family devotions before, but I always fizzle out after a few days. How can I stay consistent? (Latoya Edwards) Page How can I have family devotions with toddlers? (Kayse Pratt) Page Help! How can I have family devotions with active preschoolers who won't sit still? (Carisa Hinson) Page How can I encourage my husband as he leads family devotions? (Lisa Jacobson) Page 19 6

9 The Table of Questions 9. I have family devotions with the kids, but my husband is seldom involved. It seems to work better for our family this way. Is there any problem with this? (Elaine Lankford) Page My husband is refusing to be a spiritual leader. What should I do? (Anna Joy Lowell) Page How can I show my kids the importance of faith when the influences of the culture around them is telling them otherwise? (Jackie Bledsoe) Page How can I encourage my kids to follow God and not the world? (Heather Haupt) Page Family devotions is seriously not going well in my home. What can I do about it? (Jenn Thorson) Page My family has family devotions, but it just doesn't seem to be adding up to anything. Honestly, I am growing weary of trying to teach my children from the Bible day after day. Is it really worth the effort? (Donald S. Whitney) Page How can I make family devotions a reality in my home? (Anna Joy Lowell) Page Family Devotions Resources Page 34 7

10 I believe that, as a Christian parent, I should be teaching my kids about God. But, my family never did "family devotions" when I was growing up. I honestly have no idea what "family devotions" even means, or where to start. Jenn Thorson explains what family devotions looks like in her home and gives us some super practical thoughts to get started. Family devotions for us are a time to dig into God's Word with our kids from the oldest to the youngest and also to teach them that they can pray to God anytime about anything! Some basic steps to starting a devotional time with your children: 1. Choose a Time of Day Morning, evening or at the dinner table, whatever works best for you. Try to find a time that can stay consistent. If you know that you have evening activities several times a week, night time probably isn't the best option. 2. Make it a Relaxing Atmosphere Some families like to light candles before they pray or include music and family singing time. You don't need to know how to play the guitar or piano to make a joyful noise to the Lord! 8

11 3. Pick a Devotional Book that is Age Appropriate for Your Children. This can be easy or challenging, depending on the age range of your kids. Of course your Bible is the most important book for devotions but there are many Biblical devotionals that can serve as go alongs. 4. Encourage Prayer Praying with your children strengthens their faith and encourages them, especially when you pray over them. You can read more of this post at thepurposefulmom.com. Jenn Thorson is a pastor s wife and mother of four who realizes that it s the grace of God that carries her through each day, giving her joy in the journey! She strives to equip women to teach their children God's Word in fun and effective ways, to encourage them in their own faith and to live purposefully without the pressure to be perfect. You can find her at The Purposeful Mom. 9