21 Days to Building a Faith Filled Family - Audio DevotionalSample

Keeping Christ at the Center of Your Family

Welcome back friend. It’s day 17 in our 21-day devotional to building strong families and we have covered so much. Today, we will be discussing the importance of keeping Christ at the center of your family.

Let’s begin with prayer.

God, help us to make Christ the foundation of our family and to guide us in this journey. We know that everything originates from you. You are the creator of all things, and if you are not the center, everything will fall apart. Amen

As we begin, take a moment to reflect on your family's relationship with Christ. Let’s start at the very beginning. Do you intentionally seek to involve Him in your family life? Really?

[PAUSE FOR REFLECTION]

As Christians, we believe that our faith should permeate every aspect of our lives, especially our families. Making each family member’s individual relationship with Christ a priority and living collectively in a way that glorifies Him is the goal that so many families aim for. They, like you, and like me, desire to keep Christ at the center of their lives.

When we do that, our family experiences His love, guidance, and blessings in a powerful way.

Throughout the Bible, we see examples of families who put God at the center of their lives. One example, in the Joshua 24:15, we hear,

"As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

This is a declaration by Joshua and it shows his fortitude and commitment to prioritize God in his family's life.

Let me assure you that this doesn’t mean living a perfect life. Joshua didn’t do that. I surely haven’t done that, and you can’t either. Only Christ lived a perfect life and it’s that perfect life that reconciled us with God. But, we can strive to live a life and culture inside our home that honors and glorifies Christ.

If you were to think of ways to keep Christ as a top priority in your family, I’m sure church attendance, youth groups, or small groups probably come to mind. While these are wonderful aspects of the Christian life, and are full of blessings, I want to encourage you to take two actions today.

First, I encourage you to make prayer a regular part of your family's routine. If you’ve never prayed together, this can be as simple as saying grace before meals or praying together before bedtime. Never underestimate the power of an audible prayer, out loud over your spouse, children, and siblings.

We know that prayer, especially out loud, not only reaches God, but also displays your priority of prayer to those that you’re praying with and praying for. If you’re new to praying out loud, aim to keep it simple and short. Nothing has to be elaborate or lengthy, just speak from your heart as though you were speaking to a dear friend.

Second, read the Bible together, out loud. This might seem like such a simple thing, yet so many of us shy away from it because we feel inadequate. We make excuses, and those excuses keep us from doing something we know is good. What if there’s a question? Or, what if there is a name you can’t pronounce?

For most of our families, it’s easier for us to watch a ten minute YouTube video together than read the Bible out loud together for 3 minutes. I encourage you to set aside time to read the Bible as a family.

You can do it! This can be as simple as being the person reading a devotional or a day from a Bible reading plan. If reading the Bible collectively, or individually, isn’t a part of your home’s culture, I encourage you to start.

Let’s take a moment to reflect on these very practical steps. How can you implement them in your family's life? What excuses are you making that are keeping you from doing these simple things beginning today?

I encourage you to take a leap of faith and begin to implement some of this in your family. I believe you can do it.

[PAUSE FOR REFLECTION]

One of the most powerful faith-activating experiences you can nurture within your home is when family members pray together for something specific and then see God answer that prayer. Witnessing a living God actively participate in our lives is one of the most faith-strengthening experiences any of us can go through. It’s not something we can control, but it is something we can pray for and expect.

If you’ve seen God work in your life, share it with your family. Use that experience as a milestone in your life. Talk about it at dinner, or in the car, or on a walk. Keep reminding yourself of these events so you never forget what the Lord has done for you. Simply knowing about God isn’t enough to keep Him at the center. Knowing, seeing, and remembering that He’s working in your life, and the lives of your family members is imperative to keeping Christ at the center of your home.

Keeping all generations reminded of God’s faithfulness is one reason God instructs the Israelites to discuss the Lord at all times in all ways in their home.

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

Remember, when Christ is at the center of our families, we experience His love, guidance, and blessings in a powerful way. Let's commit to making Him the foundation of our families as we continue on this journey.

God, thank you for your love and guidance and we ask that you help to make Christ the foundation of our family. Give us the courage to implement this in our family immediately, for our greatest desire is for Christ to be at the center.

I’ll leave you with Him now. Enjoy your time together.

I’ll talk with you tomorrow.