11 Principles for Family Devotion
Family Worship- Family Worship is the regular and intentional gathering of a household to praise God together. —Tony Kummer
regular: consistent, habitual, normal
intentional: planned, deliberate, on purpose
gathering: coming together, meeting, assembly
household: family unit, everyone living in your home
praise: worship, expressing love, showing value, glorifying
1 - Worship is about God. Family devotions are when you meet with God as a family. Don’t let the details hide the big point – you are gathering together to hear from God and respond to Him in love.
2 - Make it important. You can make family devotions a regular and joyful part of your home life, but you must make it a priority. Don’t let time pressures rob your family of the eternal treasure of knowing God.
3 - Keep it short. For most families, 15 minutes several times each week will work well. As your children mature, devotion time will naturally become longer. But regular short meetings are better than occasional long meetings.
4 - Make it fun. Everyone should look forward to family devotion time. Use role-playing to act out Bible stories, or invent motions to accompany the singing.
5 - Use songs that teach. Choose songs that tell about the character of God, incorporate Bible verses when possible, and sing with your kids :) Check out our Christmas Spotify playlist
6 - Make it a habit. Getting into a pattern (or habit) will make family devotions a normal part of your home.
7 - Learn as you go. Experience will become your teacher. Since every family is different, you will need to discover what pattern of family worship best fits your home life.
8 - Involve your kids. Have you children lead in different ways and times.
9 - Avoid distractions. Turn off the television and remove toys from the area. If you have small children, an illustrated story Bible will help retain their attention.
10 - Model leadership and ask questions. Mom and Dad should be heavily engaged and involved as the lead their family during this time. Learn the art of asking questions.
11 - Always include the cross and the tomb. Clearly communicate in light of the Gospel.