Family Devotions; Training the Next Generation to Love the Lord

I had the privilege of opening Proverbs chapter 10 with my family tonight. We will probably be spending a few days in this chapter in Proverbs. I had my oldest daughter put four columns on our dry-erase board. We categorized actions and conditions with their corresponding results for those who fear God and for those who do not. The thing I enjoyed most about this time in God's word is that I am teaching them to look into Scripture with the intent to discern what God really wants us to know. Here is a good example. 

Proverbs 10:3 says "The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked." 

I had taught them that Hebrew poets communicated their intended meaning through the relationship between ideas expressed. Now it was time for them to apply this principle. Was Solomon promising that righteous people would never be hungry for any length of time? Think about Jesus in the wilderness before being tempted. He was really hungry! A different meaning surfaces when the contrast in ideas is considered. This particular verse is talking about contentment. The clue is that craving is not the same as being hungry. There are two different types of desire being attributed to two different types of people. I took the opportunity to explain that being discontent should send up a red flag in our hearts. Are we trusting God's sovereignty and goodness to provide all we need to accomplish his will? If we are striving to serve God according to his will in a manner that pleases him we will never lack anything that is necessary for us to succeed. However, if we are striving to please ourselves, even our greatest accomplishments will never satisfy us. If we love God we will seek to please him. We know we are straying from our purpose when we do not have peace and contentment in our lives.

I realized, as I was reflecting on the time I had with the children, that I was doing more than teaching truth from Scripture. I was letting them see my own heart and mind. I was helping them learn to discern truth. I was participating in the privilege God has given his people to invest themselves in the advancement of the kingdom of his beloved Son. More importantly, I was helped by God. Family devotions is an event where parents get to experience the blessing of sharing what God has communicated to them personally about himself. There is no greater blessing than knowing the Lord is present in your home and working in the hearts and lives of your children. 

I encourage those who have difficulty fitting in time for family worship to start simply by sharing what you learned from your personal time in Scripture. Let them see your love for God so they will learn to love him as well.

May the Lord bless you