Two Tips #6
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 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. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. –Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Leading our families in worship can be intimidating. But the reward is worth the effort. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 connects the way we teach our children to our own love for God. It also instructs us to weave our teaching into our lives, so that it infuses whatever we’re doing, whether we’re sitting, walking, or lying down. The instruction to write God’s instructions on doorposts and gates is an encouragement to be intentional about reminding ourselves and our families of God’s instructions. Each month, we provide you with two tips for developing your personal and family discipleship from dads who, like you, are taking on the challenge of investing spiritually in their families.
Tip #1 for Personal Devotion
5x5x5 New Testament Bible Reading Plan
Five minutes a day can go a long way. With the Navigators 5x5x5 New Testament Bible Reading Plan, you can read the entire New Testament in a year in just five minutes a day, five days a week. The third five in the plan’s name refers to the five ways that they recommend reflecting on the passages you read:
Underline key words;
Put it in your own words;
Ask and answer questions;
Capture the big idea;
Personalize the meaning to your experience.
These are great techniques to use any time you read Scripture. Print up the plan at the link above and put it somewhere you’ll see it every day. (As a bonus, if your kids see you consistently checking off days of Bible reading, it will communicate to them how important Scripture is.) If you stick with it, there are few things that will be so transformative in your life in so little time.
Tip #2 for Family Discipleship
Family Bible Reading Plan
If a family that prays together stays together, a family that reads together leads together. If you want to grow in your faith along with your family, why not do a Bible reading plan like the one above with them? You could work through the plan together at dinner or you could post it in a prominent place in your household and everyone can check off their chapter when they complete it. You could even promise a fun family trip if the entire family makes it through the whole plan to create some excitement and inspire your kids to encourage each other. This will work best with families with older elementary and middle and high school kids, who will learn important lessons about consistency and goal completion along with new insights into God’s word. If a whole year seems too ambitious to start, here’s a 30-day plan designed for kids to complete during the summer. No more excuses about being bored (at least until after they’ve finished their Bible reading for the day)!
