Evening Devotions in the Summers' Household, about 1997
I can Handle It!
I'm talkin' bout the flak and jokes today's picture is bound to generate!
But seriously, nothing gives me greater joy than to hear that another Christian couple in the church I pastor are reading the Bible to their children and praying with them - and indeed for them.
Some days ago I mentioned my second son Joel's "revival prayer" which turned out to be more an earthly alphabet-on-the-wall prayer. Well I present the picture above as proof of the story. (My fourth son had not yet arrived when the photo was taken).
Good Tradition
As my little ones were growing up, I (and it was mainly Dad) led evening devotions with them. We would sing a song, read a little from the Bible, explain it and then pray with them all.
We went through many children's Bibles, because we wanted to make sure the one we were reading at the time was age appropriate.
These devotions took place six evenings a week; we missed out Sundays because we heard God's Word and sang his praises among his people on that day of rest.
One of the reasons I led our family in daily devotions was because that was the habit or tradition I grew up in. Every morning after breakfast my dad led devotions with his six children and every evening we all got together, mother included, for family devotions during which we always sang from the Redemption Hymnal, read the Bible and prayed.
When Yvonne and I married we were determined to take the good things from each family tradition and modify them where necessary.
We took family devotions from my side of the family but modified them: only once a day rather than twice.
Some of my readers will not come from a tradition of daily family devotions, so let me encourage you with these Scriptures to start one.
"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instuction of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4)
Within these words are a world of wisdon for parents which I cannot unpack here. For example, I note that Paul begins, "Fathers." Why? Because on the last day the buck will stop with dads, not moms. Of course if there is no dad around, mom rises to the noble task: how we thank God for spiritually-caring mothers.
But within "training and instruction of the Lord" lies the command not only to teach our kids in a Christ-like way (rather than exasperating them), but to teach them the ways of the Lord, the Gospel, the Scriptures.
Tim's Mother and Grandmother
There is a wonderful example of this tradition passing down the generations in the Bible. Paul reminds Timothy that from infancy he had been taught the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15) and in 1:5 he talks about the sincere faith that lived not only in his mother Eunice but in his grandmother Lois as well.
Grandmother's teaching passed to daughter, and daughter's teaching passed down to son Timothy.
And then one day Timothy heard Paul preach and the penny dropped and the Holy Spirit brought life and faith to Timothy's soul.
A Question to Christian Parents
So I ask all Christian parents out there - and especially parents of young children: are you reading the Bible to your kids every day if at all possible?
Dads are you taking this responsibility - no command - seriously?
Will you make this the Number One priority of your weekly routine? More important than feeding them, more important than excercising them, more important than homework or school work?
Scripture nowhere says the church is repsonsible for the spiritual training of children; Scripture respects God's appointed order: parents are responsible for their children. What the church may teach is icing on the cake, not the cake itself.
When you and I are old and grey, it will not matter one hoot if our kids are rich, successful or famous, if they are without God and without hope in the world. And it will not matter one half hoot if we are rich, successful and famous, if they are on their way to hell.
In my experience parents who do not have family devotionals lose their kids in the teenage years, but parents who faithfully instruct their kids see them continue in the church druing those turbulent years.
And dear parent, you who have faithfully discharged this duty for many years, but now see your child a prodigal, continue to love and pray for them, in the sincere hope in the promise of God, that if we train up a child when he or she is young he or she will not depart from it when he or she is older.
A SONG FOR THE DAY
It's hard to outgrow this simple song. Good enough for a child with truth suitable for a grey-haired saint.
as he loved so long ago,
taking children on his knee,
saying, "Let them come to me."
Jesus loves me, this I know,
for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to him belong;
they are weak, but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
Jesus loves me he who died
heaven's gate to open wide.
He will wash away my sin,
let his little child come in.
as he loved so long ago,
taking children on his knee,
saying, "Let them come to me."
Anna Warner
There are many variations to the theme, here's one of them.
A PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Our loving Father in heaven,
We thank you that you know what it is like to have a beloved Son. And you know the agony as well as the joy that begetting brings.
We thank you for giving up your precious Son to death so that we might live.
We pray today for every Christian parent. Help them in the daily struggle of bringing up little ones. Help them most especially, we pray, to make spiritual duties their highest priorities.
Before it is too late, may they teach their little ones the things of God, and may we all live lives that commend the Gospel to the little ones in our lives.
For we ask these things in Jesus' Name,
Amen.
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