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I just recently read a statistic that was very astonishing
and eye opening to me regarding Christian families. The article stated this, “less than 10% of
churchgoing families read the Bible together, pray together or worship together
in the home.” I guess this really
surprised me because family devotions is something that was always practiced in
our home while growing up. I can recall
dad reading a Bible story, asking us questions about the story, singing together,
Bible sword drills, and closing it all out with prayer. Throughout the years and different stages of
childhood, we may have changed family devotion time, but we never replaced
it. I believe a special family devotion
time is important for three reasons.
1) It unifies.
-If everyone has been apart
throughout the day or someone got upset at another family member about
something, then the time spent learning, singing, and praying will bring a
spirit of unity throughout the family.
It is commonly said, “A family that prays together stays together.”
2) It
prioritizes.
-Nothing should be put into the
place of your family devotions. Whether
watching a movie or playing a game, we would always take time before it got too
late to stop everything for our devotional time. There may have been some times when we got
home late, but our time together with the Lord was always the priority. This will teach your children to not be too
“busy” to spend time with the Lord.
3) It trains.
-If the Lord allows Laura and I to
have children, the reason that I will have family devotions with them is not
because of some special sermon I heard or an article I read but rather because
of the example my parents set for me. I
can even remember times at a young age when dad would let me and Philip give
our devotional. They were training us to
follow in the path that they had laid before us.
Committed Christians are generally produced by dedicated,
godly parents. Have a family devotion
time every night and help alter your family to glorify the Lord.
Tim Rabon, Jr.
Children’s Pastor
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