Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. – Psalm 119:105

Over the past several Sunday messages I have encouraged you to find time to be in God’s word. Many of you already practice personal and/or family devotions and have a good plan of action when it comes to doing so. However, some of you may have never had family devotions modeled for you, or you may have only recently become a Christ-follower and simply do not know where to start. My parents were wonderful, loving, and hard-working (as were Dedra’s), but they never modeled devotions for us. Therefore, when we began practicing daily personal devotions, and then family devotions, we were starting from scratch. I empathize with those of you who are starting from the same position. So, here are a few humble suggestions and examples for you as you consider family and/or personal devotions.

To begin, it is important to find a time of day that works best for you and/or your family. I suggest a regular bedtime routine as the most appropriate time for family devotions, and mornings as the best time for individual devotions. Routines are important, especially for children, and quality devotional times can be looked forward to as a finishing touch to the day. Obviously, work schedules, sleeping patterns, and multiple other variables play into the selection of the best time for devotions, but barring unusual circumstances, I think these make for the best quality times.

Second, select the location for your devotions. The where is not as important as the simple consistency of location, particularly for children. There is no magic here. I simply find that having a location where your reading materials, crafts, songbook, etc. are handy is helpful and creates positive routines.

Third, determine the general routine not only for your devotions but also (if you are doing family devotions) for the time leading up to those devotions. My daughters knew that bedtime began with a bath, then a snack, followed by brushing teeth and then to their bedroom for a devotion (the devotional material varied with their ages, but we focused on our oldest daughter, then tried to explain things more fully to our youngest daughter briefly at the end of the reading or discussion). Our devotion time was followed by family prayer, which I generally led but occasionally invited our daughters to pray for a specific person or situation so they would get used to praying vocally and intentionally (Dedra led when I was unavailable). We occasionally sang a hymn or song. We followed our prayer time with a reading time. The reading time was usually not Bible based (since our devotions always were). Rather, it was books like The Chronicles of Narnia, Little House on the Prairie, Little Pilgrim’s Progress, Nancy Drew, The Boxcar Children and yes, even The Hobbit when they were old enough to handle the storyline. I think I read the girls more than 100 books over the years.

Fourth, include memorization. Our girls memorized Bible passages, a few answers to catechism questions, prayers and the Nicene Creed. With steady work, very little is impossible for children to memorize.

Finally, be consistent. No one can make this happen every single day or night without interruption. But do everything in your power to be consistent. Habits can be deadly, but they can also be enriching. Devotions and regular times in God’s word are worth embedding into our lives, and the lives of our children.

I concede that there are exceptions in some lives that make setting aside time for devotions more difficult. Certainly, families that have one or more children with special needs, or a single parent trying to juggle work and child rearing can make finding free time more difficult. As a general principle, however, we make time for the important matters in our lives. Time in God’s word and intentional spiritual growth are far more important than sports, television programs, video games, “vegging out,” and even personal time. None of these practices are sinful in moderation, but when we allow them to squeeze out time in our lives for teaching and equipping our children, or praying, or personal growth and learning, whether single or married, they can be spiritually deadening and mind-numbing. Most of us can do better. Your child may become a millionaire sports hero, but if they do not know Christ, sorrow upon sorrow is compounded in their lives and the lives of godly parents.

As I stated above, I present these suggestions to you with humility. I was not a perfect father, but God was gracious with my failures. There are no guarantees here, but there are wonderful promises (Prov. 22:6). If this is new for you, start with five minutes a day. It will be thirty-five minutes more that you spend in the presence of the Lord this week than you did last week. That is a good start. Questions/concerns? Please feel free to contact me or another elder/pastor. We are happy to help!

Grace and peace,

Pastor Jym

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