Living in a less than one percent (1%) Christian country has reminded me of the great delight and privilege Christians enjoy in having a personal relationship with God. Thailand is more than 90 percent Buddhist and we see people worshipping impersonal gods every day. Thailand’s religion is a mix of Buddhism, Animism, and Brahmanism. Their gods, spirits, and ghosts which determine their fate reside in temples, spirit houses, shrines, and even trees. These gods must be convinced, coerced, or manipulated to protect and bless their worshippers. It is refreshing to remember that as Christians we love and are loved by a God who is everywhere and desires to be in a personal relationship with us. What an incredible joy!
Nurturing our relationship with God can be challenging, especially with ever-busy schedules which only get busier as our children grow older. Even more challenging is sharing devotions as a family. For us, this has been a process of discovering more of God, ourselves, and our family and it will continue to be a process of discovery as our family system adjusts to different seasons and transitions in life. So I’d like to share what has worked for us, and I hope it serves as a springboard for your family devotions, too!
First, as the saying goes, attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. I cannot overstate the importance of our attitude as parents toward family devotions. When we think of the Bible’s commandments we tend to just think of the Ten Commandments. But the Bible repeatedly commands parents to teach their children the Scriptures in the book of Deuteronomy (4:9-10; 6:7, 20-25; 11:19; 31:13; 32:46). As followers of Christ our attitude toward doing family devotions should be that they
are required and essential. Most parents I know ensure their children have all the mandatory supplies upon receiving the list of Back-to-School supplies. Devotions as a family are on the mandatory list. 
The second thing also concerns our attitude as parents, specifically, confidence in our ability to lead family devotions. We may think we don’t know the Bible well enough or won’t be able to answer all our children’s questions but let me reassure you that you can do this! Purchase a good study Bible and read the chapter and the study notes beforehand. Before you begin each new book of the Bible watch an overview of that book. The Bible Project has excellent summaries of each book of the Bible.You may not know the answer to every question your children ask and you may even have your own questions as you read through the Scriptures, but this will model curiosity and obedience to God’s Word.
And onto logistics: Find a time that works well for your family. We follow the Chronological Bible Plan from the Blue Letter Bible and read a chapter or two of the Bible each morning during breakfast. After we read the chapter, we discuss it and how we might live the principles we learned that day. Once a week, we also go through a formal catechism (we are currently using the New City Catechism by The Gospel Coalition and Redeemer Presbyterian Church). This teaches our children the basics of Christianity and the memory verses allow our family to live out Psalm 119:11, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
Although we often find those mandatory items on the Back-to-School Supplies list aren’t necessary, I think you will find that family devotions are vital for enriching your lives as each family member grows in their relationship with Jesus Christ.
by Pastor Su Kim
