Family Devotions: A Simple and Effective Way to Spark Faith Conversations
Family devotions give you the chance to have conversations about faith and life with your kids—simple, intentional time to talk about what you believe.
It's a question a lot of parents have: How do we pass our faith along to our kids? And there are many answers to that question.
- Read the Bible
- Choose a curriculum and make it a part of your homeschool
- Have a family devotion each night
- Study apologetics and church history and...
None of these are bad suggestions, but there is one thing we can be sure about when it comes to sharing our faith and beliefs with our children. It should be a natural part of life.
As God establishes the nation of Israel, giving them commandments in the form of statues and rules, He says,
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."
Deuteronomy 6:4–8, ESV
The principle is the same for us. Unlike the Israelites, we have access to God's Word ourselves... your children may even have several Bibles of their own. But as parents, we are still called to live out our faith alongside of our children. To teach them about God and His ways as we sit and walk, lie down and rise.
We are supposed to talk with them—to have conversations about what God has said, how much He loves us, and how He desires that we reflect His glory.
For some, this may come naturally, but others may not even know where to start. Maybe you need a little help—and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that! That's why we want to share a new resource with you.
A Family Devotional
Christie Thomas's Fruit Full: 100 Family Experiences for Growing in the Fruit of the Spirit is an easy-to-use devotional guide for the whole family.
The devotional is divided into sections that include the general category, The Fruit of the Spirit, as well as each part of the fruit described in Galatians 5:22–23. Your family will be able to take a deep dive into topics related to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
All based in a gospel approach.
Christie writes from twenty years of children's ministry experience. She was frustrated about how the fruit of the Spirit is often taught as a to-do list. In her introduction she states, "They are fruit, not rules."
The book has one hundred devotions, each one just a page and half long containing the following parts:
- a Christ-centered Bible passage to read along with a short devotional about it
- a conversation starter so you can talk about it together
- a prayer designed to help you all draw closer to Jesus
And at the beginning of each section, Christie also shares ten hands-on activities you can do to "help your kids connect deeper with each aspect of Christ's character."
A Safe Place
We love the simplicity of this book. We love the gracious tone and the fact that it points to the source of the fruit, the Holy Spirit.
Our kids need us to talk to them about matters of faith. They need a safe place to share their ideas and ask hard questions.
They need to hear the truth of Scripture and how we apply it to our lives.
When God told the Israelites to talk of His commands to their children, He answered the question, "How do we pass our faith along to our kids?"
As parents, it begins with us... to love Him with all our hearts. Then we take what He's teaching us and pass that along to our kids as we sit and walk, lie down and rise. In other words, it's about living life with our kids. It's about talking to them.
We hope this resource will help.
