My senior pastor exercises regularly. He used to run, but now he mostly bikes and swims. I admire this about him. One time someone asked him, “what are you training for?” he said, “nothing really, it’s just a part of my life. I need it.” He is a good steward of his body. There have been injuries that have kept him from exercising, or seasons of weather that have made it more difficult. But if he goes a few days without some form of exercise he starts to make comments like, “I need to get out on my bike this afternoon.”
Not only has he been an example to me in stewarding my own body, but his dedication has guided me to think about the stewardship of family devotions. Part of the trap of Christian pragmatism is that we are always doing Christian stuff for a class, certification, gold stars, or whatever. But I don’t read the Word of God as with my family and catechize my kids in the truth because they will need to pass some standardized biblical learning test, or because my wife and I are competing with other parents. We do these things because God is the center point of our lives. As Timothy Ward puts it, “the ongoing authoritative speaking activity of the Holy Spirit takes place in and through Scripture, as Scripture is read and as the church thereby finds itself addressed by God through his written Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.” [1] We need God’s words because we need him. Spending time in the Word as a family is just good stewardship of our family.
Like exercise, family Bible time is always hard to start back up if you’ve taken a long break. Also, there are seasons and family dynamics that alter how we do things. However, as fathers and mothers, if we go a few days without enjoying God’s Word together, it is good if we feel the tug: “I need to look at the schedule and ensure we get back into some Bible time together.” It is a good sign if after a few days of sports practices, or evenings with unexpected visitors, you or your spouse say to each other, “Man, how can we make the Word more central in our home in this season? We need it.” Mix-it up, make changes, be creative, but don’t give up!
The benefits of making the word central in our lives and homes are clearly evident all throughout the Bible.
Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt.4:4 )
“… from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” ( 2 Tim. 3:15-17).
A few ideas:
- Ask God for help.
- Be gracious with yourself.
- Start where you are. If you are not doing any family Bible reading then start praying for God to convince you in your heart of the necessity of His Word.
- Start when the kids are young, but it is never too late if they are older.
- Focus on the narratives of Scripture.
- Something worth doing is worth doing poorly.
- Put passages on some walls, mirrors, and cabinets in the house.
Praise God! Because of the finished work of Jesus Christ, you are not reading the Bible with your family for God’s acceptance, but from God’s acceptance. Wouldn’t it be great if someone asked you, “So what are your reading the Bible for?” and you said, “Nothing really, it’s a part of my life.I need it.” Because I need him.
You’ll be able to hear writer/father/pastor Joey Turner speak on the Parent Panel at the Rooted conference in Dallas Texas, October 24-26.
[1] Words of Life; Scripture as the Living and Active Word of God by Timothy Ward, pg. 48.
