What is family worship? (Click the arrow to the left)
As Christians, particularly Christian men, we are responsible to lead our households with strength and resolve in the ways of Christ. Leading our families in devotions and family worship is one way to lead our families, raising our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, Jesus Christ (cf. Deuteronomy 6:7; Ephesians 6:4).
In my house, we do morning and evenings. In the morning after we eat breakfast together, we all have our quiet times. We read our Bibles seperately and journal what we see. In the evenings before bed, we talk about what we saw in our morning Bible reading, I share my insight from my own devotional time, we ask questions from the New City Catechism, we sing a couple worship songs together, and then we pray as a family. Family worship doesn’t have to look like this. It may look different for every household, but I want to invite you to join me in leading our families well. Every weekday on this blog, I want to provide a guide for fathers to lead their families in some form of family worship. If your household doesn’t have a father, I believe the responsibility falls to the mother. Design a routine that works for your family, but be intentional about leading in the only way that matters instead of getting too caught up with the affairs of this world. Every Christian man is the pastor of his home. I believe the most important thing we can do for our children is (1) lead them in the home and (2) be faithful to the church as a family. As the family goes, so goes the nation. Our job as pastors to our family matters.
Genesis 49:8-12
8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
9 “Judah is a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He couches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a lion, who dares rouse him up?
10 “The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes,
And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
11 “He ties his foal to the vine,
And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine;
He washes his garments in wine,
And his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 “His eyes are dull from wine,
And his teeth white from milk.
There is a theme present in Genesis, particularly when God reestablishes His blessing with each new generation. Abraham’s offspring would be a blessing to the world (Genesis 22:18). Isaac’s offspring would be a blessing to the world (Genesis 26:1-5). Jacob’s offspring would be a blessing to the world (Genesis 28:10-14). When the blessing is passed to Judah, more information is provided. The scepter will not depart from Judah or the staff from between his feet until he whose right it is comes and wins the obedience of the peoples (nations).
That promise specifically refers to an individual—an individual yet to come from Judah’s perspective. This means every offspring promise in Genesis is ultimately fulfilled in this coming individual who has the right to rule with the scepter and guide with the shepherd’s staff. Every family of the earth is blessed under this individual’s rule as He gains the obedience of the peoples (all nations, not only the tribes of Israel listed in Genesis 49).
1,500 years before Jesus’s birth, Moses wrote about the eventual coming of one with the right to rule and shepherd all nations—blessing every family on the earth. He came. Jesus even pointed our attention to this prophecy and others by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt and turning water into choice wine.
The New Testament authors were gracious enough to provide us a genealogy through David and back to Judah and Abraham so we know Jesus qualifies as this individual who has the right to reign 1,500 years before His incarnation.
Today’s question from the New City Catechism:
Q- What is faith in Jesus Christ?
A- Receiving and resting on him alone for salvation as he is offered to us in the gospel.
Galatians 2:20 says,
20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Have a question about today’s devotional?
Alex Southern Baptist Chapel 
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