The Importance of
Family Worship
Dan Flournoy
God's arrangement of the home as the ideal place
for the rearing of children should be obvious to all who are the
least bit familiar with Scripture. The home is not only a haven
from the stress and strife of the world, but it is the ideal place
to learn about God and His will for our lives. Through parental
instruction and example, the most valuable lessons of life are
passed on to the next generation. Whatever values parents demonstrate,
children will absorb. Lessons learned in youth, either good or
bad, will be carried over into adult life. The home, therefore,
is the place children learn what life is all about (Cf. Ecc.12:1
& 12:13).
Fathers are charged with the responsibility of
teaching and training their children in spiritual matters (Eph.
6:4). Mothers are to guide and direct the home (Titus 2:5). Parents
must be diligent in directing the minds of their children in the
way of the Lord. Therefore, family life needs to be focused on
the spiritual things (Col. 3:2). Daily Bible reading and prayer
help to fortify the home against the onslaught of the world. The
family that attends Bible class and worship regularly has taken
a great step forward in strengthening the home. However, nothing
can take the place of regular Bible study and daily devotion in
the home.
God's instruction to ancient Israel included daily
discussion of the Law:
And these words, which I command you today, shall
be in you 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 up.
And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall
be for frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on
the door-posts of you house, and on your gates (Deut. 6:6-9 NKJV).
Notice the continuous nature of the instruction
process. During the busy activities of the day, parents must find
time to teach their children the noble truths of God's Holy Word.
Every Christian should be a constant and devoted reader of the
Scriptures. Every Christian parent should be a constant and devoted
teacher of the Scripture to their children.
We encourage young families especially, to begin
early in married life to set aside at least fifteen minutes a
day to read the Bible together. As children come into the family,
bring them into the circle of family devotion. Sing, pray and
teach. The vitality of our spiritual life at home will be in exact
proportion to the place given to the Bible in daily devotions.
The "little" decisions we make in life
determine our destiny in eternity. No decision is of greater importance
than to determine to spend a certain amount of time each day in
family worship. The example of godly parents, coupled with continuous
instruction is, by God's design, the most powerful force in the
spiritual development of a child.
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