Of Family Devotions and Personal Growth

We started family devotions when we were holding house church in our previous residence every night on the book of Proverbs. Sadly, it is true that while holding daily devotions with the family requires great effort, it requires even greater effort to maintain it. After finishing our study on the book of Proverbs we stopped, partially due to my work schedule, while the weekly worship continued. There were two instances that I was still out and it was time for our dailies, that the children took the initiative to continue the study themselves. I remember being very pleased. 

Family devotions are crucial especially in this day and age of information overload. The mind of the child is being conditioned by the world at their fingertips, and almost all of what they soak in are detrimental to their thought process, and in enmity with the Spirit. I lay the blame of the ever increasing number of worldly children with Christian parents to the absence and negligence of family worship. It is imperative for the kingdom's sake to train the children once again in the old paths of righteousness that was once delivered to the saints.

Thoughts On Family Worship by James W. Alexander

A classic book on the importance of an often-neglected duty, Thoughts on Family Worship by James W. Alexander focuses on the many benefits of daily worship as it strengthens minds and cultivates personal piety among both parents and children. The author further shows how family worship influences our churches and society, perpetuating sound doctrine and leaving a legacy for posterity. Alexander gives practical directions for conducting family worship, discussing in detail such things as the place of Scripture reading, prayer, and praise.

He is aware, however, of the difficulties of maintaining family worship and answers several common objections to it. If you struggle to hold times of worship with your family, or even if you simply desire some encouragement in the practice, this book is sure to provide the words of counsel you need.

'In the hurry of our great cities, it is painful to observe the preference given to mammon over God. Look at the living tide which rolls every morning down such a thoroughfare as Broadway! A stranger might be forgiven if he supposed that the life of each breathless banker, merchant, or clerk depended on his reaching the commercial latitudes within a certain minute. But how many of these have prayed with their families? Some, I rejoice to believe; but the mass have no time for anything but the world. Unless men will lose their own souls, and jeopardize the souls of their children, they must take time for God. And the more busy, exhausting, and absorbing any man's days are, the more he needs the deliberate abstraction of a quiet devotional hour, such as that of family worship.' - James W. Alexander

Table of Contents:

• The Nature, Warrant, and History of Family Worship
• The Influence of Family Worship on Individual Piety
• The Influence of Family Worship on Parents
• The Influence of Family Worship on Children
• Family Worship as a Means of Intellectual Improvement
• The Influence of Family Worship on Domestic Harmony and Love
• The Influence of Family Worship on a Household in Affliction
• The Influence of Family Worship on Visitors, Guests, and Neighbors
• The Influence of Family Worship in Perpetuating Sound Doctrine
• The Influence of Family Worship on the Church
• The Influence of Family Worship on the Commonwealth
• The Influence of Family Worship on Posterity
• Practical Directions as the Mode of Conducting Family Worship
• The Reading of Scripture as a Part of Family Worship
• Psalmody as a Part of Family Worship
• The Householder Exhorted to the Duty of Family Worship
• Difficulties, Objections, and Conclusion

Source GoodReads

 

Beginning Family Worship by Joel Beeke and Nick Thompson 

Christians are counter-cultural: our primary goal should not be to raise intelligent, successful, competent, and upright citizens, our primary concern ought to be for the good of our children’s souls - and so for God’s glory.

Teaching our children the Scriptures in a compelling, relevant, and holistic manner during daily family worship is one of the chief means we can achieve this. If you need help to do that – this is the series for you! It’s a comprehensive guide for the entire family and particularly children between the ages of 5–12.

Table of Contents:

PART I: THE BEGINNING OF A WORLD
(GENESIS 1–2)
1. In the Beginning, God
2. Our Triune Creator
3. The Light We See
4. The Air We Breathe
5. The Earth Beneath Our Feet
6. The Great Lights Above Us
7. The Animals We Love
8. Reflectors of God’s Glory
9. Kings Over God’s Creation
10. Rest from Our Labors
11. Clay in the Potter’s Hands
12. Priests in God’s House
13. The Choice of Life or Death
14. The First Marriage
15. Naked and Unashamed

PART II: THE BEGINNING OF A WAR
(GENESIS 3–11)
16. Our Ancient Foe
17. Our Tragic Fall
18. Our Death in Adam
19. It’s Not My Fault!
20. A Promise of War
21. Our Pain in the Present
22. Clothed by Grace
23. Kicked Out of Eden
24. Family Bloodshed
25. God’s Promise Will Stand
26. Death is Not the Final Word
27. A Faith that Longs
28. Only Evil Continually
29. Judgement or Salvation
30. God’s Saving Provision
31. God Shut the Door
32. Floodwaters of Judgment
33. Remembered by God
34. A Sweet-Smelling Sacrifice
35. A New Adam
36. Redemption’s Stage
37. A Bow in the Clouds
38. Noah’s Failure
39. The God of Shem
40. A Troublesome Tower

PART III: THE BEGINNING OF A NATION
(GENESIS 12–50)
41. Love Toward the Unlovely
42. A Blessed Trunk
43. A Believing Pilgrim
44. Famine in the Land
45. Lift Up Your Eyes
46. God Most High
47. A Faith that Justifies
48. A Covenant is Cut
49. Man-Made Salvation
50. The God Who Sees Me
51. Father of a Great Multitude
52. Blessing Via Curse
53. Unto You and Your Children
54. Help My Unbelief!
55. God with Us
56. The Just Judge of All the Earth
57. Escape for Your Life!
58. Delivered Yet Again
59. Unto Us a Child is Born
60. The Greatest Trial
61. A Ram Provided
62. A Permanent Inheritance
63. God’s Angel Will Go Before You
64. God Provides Once More
65. Finishing in Faith
66. Two Sons, Two Nations
67. Despising the Birthright
68. Like Father, Like Son
69. Deceived into Blessing
70. God’s Staircase
71. Humility Comes Hard
72. A Nation is Born
73. From Laban to Canaan
74. Wrestling with God
75. Brothers Reunited
76. A New Beginning
77. Funerals in the Promised Land
78. A Prince Among Brothers
79. From Royalty to Rags
80. Grace Breaking Through
81. A Dark Providence
82. Dreams from a Dungeon
83. Exalted by God
84. At Their Brother’s Feet
85. To Egypt Again
86. A Silver Cup, A Solemn Test
87. I Am Joseph!
88. Your Son is Alive!
89. Blessed Through Joseph
90. Our Home is Not in Egypt
91. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah
92. Finishing in Hope

Appendix: Remember: Bible and Catechetical Memorization During Family Worship

Authors
Joel R. Beeke is president of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary and a pastor of the Heritage Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids. Nick Thompson is the pastor of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he resides with his wife and three sons.

 

Pocket Puritans from Banner of Truth

A wonderful way to expose people to the writings of the Puritans is through Banner of Truth’s wonderful little series called The Pocket Puritans.

These booklets are excerpts of some of the most popular Puritan works, many of which can be found in the Puritan Paperback series.  This wonderful series covers such topics as: The Shorter Catechism, Suffering, Unity, Speech, Drinking, Repentance, Anger, Heaven, Faith, Lust, The Heart and the Prayers of the Psalms.