Our homes are to be founded upon the word of God. What does this mean? It means that not only do we base everything we do and say around the gospel, but that we train and instruct our children in the things of God. God has chosen the family to be His avenue in which he passes down His truth from one generation to another. Several verses down from the passage we just looked at in Deuteronomy it states, “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What do the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments mean which the Lord our God commanded you? Then you shall say to your son, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us from Egypt with a mighty hand. ‘Moreover, the Lord showed great and distressing signs and wonders before our eyes against Egypt, Pharaoh and all his household; He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land which He had sworn to our fathers.’ “So the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is today. “It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the Lord our God, just as He commanded us.” (Deut 6:20-25). Thus, in these verses, we see the parents relaying to their children the faithfulness of God. Again, Malachi 2:15 also confirms this. In speaking of the marriage covenant, the prophet states, “Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth.” In the New Testament, we read that fathers are to instruct their children in the discipline and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).
Since the home is to be the hub of spiritual education, this means that we as parents have to be committed to this. In other words, it is foundational. If we want to bring up godly children, it starts with us, not the church. We have to make sure that homes are filled with the knowledge and wisdom of God. Proverbs 24:3-4 states, “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” If we want the Lord to build our house, He has to have the preeminence. As a parent, the most important thing you can give your children is your relationship to God. This means you need to have a vital and living one to pass down. If you want your children to walk with God, you have to be the example. As that example, you need to take the time to teach your children about God.
In closing, family worship is important because it sets the spiritual tone in your home. It is an avenue in which the Holy Spirit teaches and instructs your children. The home is the place that God has ordained to raise up godly offspring. Family worship is an avenue in which you can accomplish everything talked about in the scriptures above. So, carve out time for it. Make it a priority. Start to live Joshua 24:15, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”