Today, I want to talk about something that we were taught during the last @steemchurch Bible study class anchored by Apostle @marcelo. This topic is what many believers take for granted while some tag it old school. For most believers, it's time-consuming since we barely have enough time for ourselves. Before I go into the day's topic, let me share something with everyone.

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My parents started at an early stage to bring everyone together for prayers. They fixed a particular time for our family devotion and we used a particular room within the house. At first, we always come together to worship God in the morning and before bedtime, but as we get older, my dad canceled the evening devotion. We took turns to read a bible passage, then after reading, the person that read will explain what he/she understood from the passage. At a point, my mum made a roaster beginning with my dad with bible verses attached to each name. To be honest, I was too young to understand what she was doing, but it later became part of me and I began to enjoy the family time together. This made my siblings & I to study the Bible ahead of time because after reading and explaining, my parents would ask us questions on what was read. As I get older, I realized that it made us stay connected to God and took the family worship very seriously. My siblings & I were rooted in the word of God at a very early stage because we prayed and shared the word of God together. My parents planted a seed in us & that seed kept growing. As I write this, I am thankful that I was brought up that way by my parents. I left home 7 years ago but one of the things that I miss so much is the family morning devotion.

They say a family that prays together stays together. Family altar is simply a place of family worship. For most Anglicans and Pentecostals, they hardly keep a physical altar but 80% of the Roman Catholics do have a physical altar. I am not here to talk about whether it has to be visible or invisible, what matters is the assembly of every family member to come together for God. Family devotion should not be taken for granted, it's important that families come together to study the word of God and pray together.

Benefits of Family Devotion

The importance of family devotion cannot be overemphasized;

It brings Unity: When a family comes together to worship and pray daily it brings unity and peace to the home. It takes away anger and grudges. Constant hearing of the word of God washes our heart, takes away the hate and replaces it with love. And where there is love, there is unity.

It brings Spiritual growth: Sometimes, we might find it difficult to keep up with the morning devotions individually. And sometimes, hearing the word of God from other believers touches the soul. So, when we constantly hear the word of God, we grow spiritually because we feed the soul with the word of God just as the body needs the right nutrients for growth so does the soul need the word of God for growth.

It encourages godly training: One of the duties of the Christian parents is to train and bring up godly children for the kingdom. Having a family devotion is definitely one of the ways to achieve that. It's important to catch them young for Christ and it starts from the home. Feeding the family with the word of God goes a long way in shaping & molding anyone.

Off limits for the devil: When a family altar is raised within the home that home becomes off limits to the devil and his agents.

Jesus is established: When a family always come together to study the word of God and pray, Jesus, is established in that home. It shows Jesus is truly the head and center of that family.

It Increases the knowledge of God: The more we study the Bible as a family, the more we get to know Him and accept everything about Him as a family. Everyone will be on the same page

In conclusion,

We can all see that family devotion is something that should be encouraged. However, it shouldn't be mistaken for family punishment. Family worship should be fun and sweet, but it shouldn't be a time to make fun of others who are still struggling to understand the word of God. It should be a time to communicate and have a communal relationship with God as a family.

Thank you for reading!!