Jonathan Williams is leading us in a three week series on three things your family needs.  Check out part 1 here.

This week he discusses the second thing your family needs...

Your Devotion 

Many have said, “You can’t give someone what you don’t have.” This resonates with us as we recognize that we cannot lead our families to seek the Lord if we are not seeking the Lord. 

Perhaps the most popular passage for family discipleship is Deuteronomy 6:4-9. This Scripture carries a command for parents to teach the Word of God diligently to their children. However, before parents are called to lead in this family discipleship, they are commanded to: 

• “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
• And they are commanded to keep the Word of God on their hearts. 

Before parents can teach the Word of God to their children they are to love God and delight in His commands. Then, they lead their children to do the same. 

This is why one of the greatest starting points for leading your family is your own morning devotion. When you begin your day delighting in the Word of God, enjoying the Lord’s presence, devoting yourself to prayer, you are equipped and ready to now spend your day leading your family—talking about the Lord with your children “when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” 

There is also a practical side to this starting point. 

Many parents feel lost when it comes to leading a family devotion. However, if you have already had a time of personal devotion earlier that day, you have a wonderful starting point for your family devotion: 

• Begin your day with a time of personal devotion, reading a passage from the Bible
• Set aside a time to gather with your family later in the day, perhaps at dinnertime or bedtime
• Read the same passage of Scripture with your family from your morning devotion
• Discuss the Bible passage by asking a few questions about the Scripture you read 
  
  

Find us here next Monday for Part 3.

Jonathan Williams, Ph.D. (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the Executive Director of Gospel Family Ministries: www.gospelfamily.org  This ministry focuses on strengthening family ministry in the local church and cultivating family worship in the Christian home. Jonathan spends his days leading conferences and workshops that equip men to be spiritual leaders in their homes, to strengthen marriages, and to train parents to cultivate a biblical worldview in the hearts of their children. Jonathan is the author of “A Practical Theology of Family Worship” and “Gospel Family.” He also teaches as an adjunct professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX, and is the managing editor of the Southwestern D6 Family Ministry Journal. Previously, Jonathan served for 10 years as the senior pastor of Wilcrest Baptist Church, a multi-ethnic church of more than 50 nations. He lives in Texas with his wife and three children.