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.
John 12:1-8
1 Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
2 So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him.
3 Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, *said,
5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?”
6 Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.
7 Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial.
8 “For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”
Not every action of the Christian should be centered on worldly acts of charity. It is worldly religion that makes almsgiving a pillar of faith. Notice, it’s the thief in the story who is overly concerned about wealth redistribution. The thief chastised Mary for not giving her wealth to the poor. Jesus did not. Instead, Jesus praised Mary for using her wealth honorably for His glory.
Jesus also provided a truth for us. The poor will always be here on this earth. If our priority is to always provide momentary needs, there is no end. Much of what we give is in vain because it doesn’t actually help people improve their circumstances. While I think we should do what we can to help in meaningful ways, almsgiving is not the priority for Christians like it is for worldly religious people. Instead, like Mary, we discern how to best honor Christ with the wealth He has given. That probably looks different for each person. Almsgiving, the mere practice of worldly religion, can easily distract us from following Christ. Like Jesus told Mary, we will not always have the opportunities to honor Christ with our wealth in the seasons He provides.
Instead of merely being religious, we discern at each opportunity what we believe will best honor Jesus—and we trust others to do the same.
Have a question about today’s devotional?
Alex Southern Baptist Chapel 
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