Family Devotions?

Does the Bible teach us to have family devotions? Not that I'm aware of. I have "Bible time" with my kids as part of our home school and we pray as a family, but we've never been good at doing traditional family devotions. We talk about the Bible and how to live it as things happen, though.

Are family devotions a bad thing? Of course not. Kudos to those who do them! But sometimes I think we make too big of a deal about them and lack things that are more important.

"Fix these words of Mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking bout them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land..." Deuteronomy 11:18-21

These verses talk about making Scripture part of your family's everyday life, not just one compartment called "Bible time" or a "family devotion". For me, I've run into problems when I have my own devotion time, say 'amen' and then promptly forget everything I just read and prayed about.

We need to teach our children to walk with God throughout our day (and we need to do it as well, of course!). Living our faith is easy during family devotions (unless you have small children, then devotion time requires immense amounts of patience). It's when you close the Bible and start going through your day that walking with God gets difficult.

Purposefully look for opportunities throughout the day to teach Biblical principles to your kids. Write Bible verses on cards and hang them in places around your house to help you remember as well. Do your family devotions, but make sure you keep walking with God and teaching your kids to do so once the devotion is over!