08 28 07 HAVE YOU CHECKED THE HEADLINES LATELY?


"You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” (Deuteronomy 6:7 NKJV)

This is indeed one of my favorite verses, but recently t has come to mind in dealing with an avoidable subject among Christian men; home and family devotions. Recently I have heard the late J. Vernon McGee and Dr. Dobson speak concerning the issue. I must admit, I have tried and failed miserably at family devotions and am still doing my best to “talk of them” (God’s laws and precepts) to my family. Try as we might to pass the buck to our wife, it’s our job to be the spiritual leader of our home guys; this includes teaching and learning the Word.

Check out the Message version:

“…and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night.” (Deut. 6:7 MSG)

To me it gives us freedom to be inventive, creative, and fun in teaching of the attributes of God; His holiness, His beauty, His forgiveness, His love, and His power. As we go throughout the day we can point out the beauty in nature and encourage our family members to figure out why or how God made the peculiar images of nature. What made Him choose green for grass? How it is that rain can be cold on a hot day? These are perfect toddler devotions! Why are women pretty and guys ruggedly handsome? How is it that (without steroids) no matter how much weight we lift or how fast we train, we can only get so strong or so fast? No doubt teens are interested. Why are nations still fighting over Israel? Why is Iraq so important today? Here’s a good one; why can’t we pray in public (or can we)?

HAVE YOU CHECKED THE HEADLINES LATELY? You see, devotions can be the news of the day, the latest sports hero to fall, or the predicted storm on the way. It can be the homeless man on the street, the rebuilding of a disaster-struck city, or God’s mercy upon a sinner like you and me. As we dads and husbands search Scripture daily for ourselves and search the news for needed knowledge of the day, we can be ready to answer questions that arise. If we don’t know the answer, don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know!” The next devotion can be easy: let’s all find the answer!

So let’s not run from family devotions anymore. No more dad’s doomsday devotions, detour devotions, or father’s family follies. Keep pluggin’ away and ask the Lord for some added oomph and a little helpful daily news perhaps. HAVE YOU CHECKED THE HEADLINES LATELY?