Easy Family Devotions

Can I be honest? When I first heard about the Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible I had mixed emotions. The entire concept of this particular study Bible was intriguing. But it wasn’t enough for me to spend money on yet another print Bible. Those mixed emotions quickly turned to ecstatic joy when I found out that Olive Tree was going to make it available because it’s a perfect accompaniment to my digital library. So, I added the title to my list of projects and worked to get it done.. so that I could start using it ASAP! And, I got it done so you all can use it too, I guess. ? Now, I’m on the edge of my seat about this resource—but why should you? Let me tell you why by explaining its benefit for use in easy family devotions.

THE MATERIAL YOU NEED FOR EASY FAMILY DEVOTIONS

My greatest responsibilities in life are spiritually leading my household and parenting my three children. For the longest time, I wasn’t the best at leading my family in devotions. I struggled to get the right material together. With time, I’m gradually getting better; but, a resource like the Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible goes a long way in making family devotions simple and doable for all. It provides all the tools I need to ground my family in the Word of God on a daily basis.

THE READING PLAN

The reading plan is the ground floor and what makes family worship/devotion happen with this study Bible. Instead of trying to figure out which passage your family is going to read each day, you can use Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s wonderful reading plan. Better yet, it has been thoughtfully separated into both family worship & private readings!

For example, the original M’Cheyne plan will have you read the first chapter of Genesis, Ezra, Matthew, and Acts on January 1. But, in this study Bible, you’ll read Genesis & Matthew during your family devotion. Then you’ll read Ezra & Acts in your private devotion time.

Over the course of the year, you will have taken your family through roughly half of the Old Testament (Genesis thru 2 Chronicles, along with Psalms) and the entire New Testament. The added benefit of using this in the app is that you can use the built-in M’Cheyne reading plan to keep track of your devotions. That way, you can start no matter the time of year, without figuring out how it matches with the calendar they provide. Personally, it’s nice having a ready made plan that I know will take my family through the Scriptures in a systematic way. It’s much easier to prepare when you already have a plan in place!

HELP WITH DIFFICULT PASSAGES

Now, as you’re reading through these passages with your family and in your own time, you’re no doubt going to run across difficult passages. The Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible excels in this area. It is truly a study Bible.

Each book of the Bible includes an introduction that discusses its background and purpose. It even includes discussions on the difficult questions faced in that book.

There are also thousands of study notes that explain the meaning of words and phrases in their context. This way, you can make sense of the passage. Cross references to relevant passages are also integrated into the study notes. These allow you to investigate more deeply and compare Scripture with Scripture. And even though this study Bible is based on the KJV translation, Olive Tree allows you to use it alongside your preferred translation (such as the ESV or NIV).

GET REAL APPLICATION

One of the most important things about spending time in the Bible is to make application of the text that you’re reading. In my opinion, this is where this study Bible is worth its weight in gold.

At the end of every chapter there is a section called “Thoughts for Personal/Family Worship”. This section assists you in preparing thoughts for your time of worship. Additionally, it will give you tips on how to use the text to grow in godliness. So, even if you didn’t attend seminary or Bible college, you’ll be more than equipped to lead your family. To give you an idea of what this section looks like, here are the thoughts from Genesis 1:

EXCERPT:

1. Consider the power of God in creation. If a computer were observing 10 million stars per second, it would still take 63 million years to count all the stars! Such is the power of the Almighty. Remarkably, the stars are the work of His fingers (Ps. 8:3) but salvation is the work of His right hand (Ps. 98:1). In a wonderful way God’s work in making believers new creations in Christ Jesus demonstrates a power greater than commanding the world into existence. Let us be amazed at the wonder of creation; let us be overwhelmed with the wonder of grace. How does saving grace display even greater glory than creation?

BE EQUIPPED TO LEAD EASY FAMILY DEVOTIONS

As you can see, these items alone provide more than enough information for someone to lead a time of devotion. Whether it’s in a family, small group, or personal setting, you’ll be ready. But this is just the tip of the iceberg of what this study Bible has to offer. So much so, we wrote another blog post on it! See it here.