The 5 Best Family Devotional Books

If you are in a hurry and just want to find out the best family devotional book, then I’d recommend Kingdom Family Devotional by Tony Evans as the best one.

Isn’t it amazing to have a great connection with your family while developing a deep relationship with God? Well, that’s great for engaging. That is what a family devotional can do to every family.

When I say family, I mean even your kids, from toddlers to teens, can enjoy such a relationship with God.

I can honestly say that this kind of activity is excellent and effective, especially for families with busy schedules. It is practical for those who can only set a short period for family bonding.

This activity will strengthen your relationship with your kids and positively impact their growth. It will teach and encourage them to live their lives following God’s words.

The success of your family devotion depends on the family devotional books you’ll be using.

Here are the Best Family Devotional Books we’ll be reviewing:

• Kingdom Family Devotional by Tony Evans
• The One Year Book of Josh McDowell’s Family Devotions by Josh McDowell
• Jesus Calling Family Devotional by Sarah Young
• The Very Best, Hands-On, Kinda Dangerous Family Devotions by Shoemaker
• All Together: The Family Devotional by Steve Legg

What is a Family Devotional?

A family devotional is an activity to strengthen your family’s spiritual growth together.

It is a simple way to introduce God’s words to your children slowly. Family devotionals can start a good conversation with the family; even kids and teenagers can relate to and enjoy them.

Family devotionals can also be your family’s bonding time. The best part is that they do not take up too much of your time. You can enjoy a fruitful discussion with your children in a short period. 

Starting a family devotional benefits the whole family, especially for your children’s growth. 

What Creates a Good Family Devotional?

The success of every family devotional depends on the resources you have. You need to consider other factors, such as:

Simple and age-appropriate

Do not make family devotionals complicated. They should be simple yet enjoyable and easy to understand so that even younger kids can cope during the discussion.

Collaborative

Give your children the chance to collaborate. Let them read specific passages, share their thoughts, and participate in your discussion. This will excite them to be part of your family’s devotion.

Biblical

The language and style of your family devotionals should always be biblical. Topics should always be based on the Bible to achieve a deeper family connection and relationship with God. 

Consistent

On the other hand, consistency is really important. Make family devotional as part of your family’s daily routine. Do not break the momentum. Your children might lose interest if you are inconsistent, and that is something you don’t want to happen.

Fun

Make family devotional as fun as possible. Kids always love fun things and fun moments. They look forward to activities that are enjoyable and lively.

Importance of Doing Family Devotional

Family devotions play a vital role in molding our spiritual lives. It can initiate a deep relationship among the family. Family devotions create an atmosphere for our children to flourish in their walk with God.

It unites the family.

Family Devotionals strengthen the relationship between parents and their children. Parents need to be intentional in sharing the scriptures. Family devotionals set the mood and atmosphere in the family. They are a chance for the family to pray for each other. 

It creates a meaningful conversation with your children

Family devotional allows your children to understand and connect the Bible in their lives. It helps your children reflect on life through God’s words. Parents can teach kids how to live life following God’s will.

It is a good investment in your children’s spiritual growth

Family devotion is the perfect investment if you want your kids to follow God’s character. Modeling is the most effective way of teaching. Model Christlike character to them. Modeling, reading the Bible, and praying set a firm foundation in their spiritual life.    

When is the Best Time to Do Family Devotionals?

The best time is to make time. Every family is unique. Consider that even your kids have busy schedules.

You can schedule a time when every member is available. For some families, the best time to do family devotion is before eating breakfast. They wake up earlier than usual to make time for their family devotional. That way, their minds are fresh from the hassle of the day. 

Other families do their family devotion before bedtime. They could spend more time with each other in prayer and thanksgiving. Also, they have more time to share stories and play games. They prefer nighttime because they are not rushing to leave the house. 

Remember that we are teaching our kids a habit. For them to copy that habit, we must be consistent with the appointed time. 

How to Start Your Family Devotionals?

Family devotions are a set time when parents and their kids sit down, pray, and read the Bible together. Initiating a habit of family devotion can be tough, but it is a worthwhile investment for your family’s spiritual growth. 

Set up a schedule

Make sure that everyone is available. When you set a time, remember to include your kids’ schedules, too. Look at their schedules and see what fits best, perhaps Saturday evening or Sunday mornings. Find what works best, and make sure to be consistent. 

Start with a Prayer

It’s always best to start everything with a simple prayer.

It could be a prayer for the Lord’s guidance as you go about your family devotional. It could be a prayer for the family’s good health. You could include any other type of prayers you wanted before doing your family devotional.

Look for the Best Family Devotional Book

You can start your family devotional by reading passages in the Bible. You can let the kids take turns reading Bible verses. Let them express their thoughts and learnings from what they read. It is also best if you could read stories from family devotional books. Discuss biblical principles with them as you read to them. 

Choosing the Best Family Devotional Book

There are factors to consider before buying a devotional book for your family. Here are some of them.

Age Target

In engaging your kids with family devotions, ensure that the book you’re reading is appropriate for their age. Some families have toddlers, preschool, and elementary kids. Some have teenagers and young adults. Ask questions. Is this book suitable for kids? Does it pique the curiosity of teenagers and young adults? 

Colorful Illustrations

Toddlers and elementary school children prefer to read books with colorful pictures. If they can see images, you can engage them more. Illustrations can enrich their imaginations. Visualization is one of the most effective ways to teach kids in this age group. Teens and young adults are different. They prefer books with relatable illustrations. 

Story Content

One key point you need to consider is the content of the book. Is it easy to understand? Is it relatable? The main objective of family devotionals is not just for kids to retain information. We want to see life transformation inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. Family devotional books encourage the whole family to be Christlike in all their endeavors. 

Let me help you find the best family devotional in the market today. 

Kingdom Family Devotional by Tony Evans

Kingdom Family Devotional is a new devotional written by Dr. Tony Evans and his son Jonathan Evans. It is an excellent way to build a spiritually strong family week by week. What’s impressive about this book is that it’s perfect for single and married parents. This book is a perfect resource for parents to enhance the family’s spiritual growth.

This book has 52 separate topics. One topic is meant for each week of the year, and five devotionals within each topic will guide devotional time Monday through Friday. Topics span from the basics of the faith to the essentials of living as followers of Christ. In addition, the subject matter is made simpler for young kids to understand.

Pros:

• A perfect resource for busy families
• Includes fun Friday activities each week that range from arts and crafts to charades
• With useful topics dedicated each week
• The devotions are not very long, and excellent illustrations
• With themes relevant to today’s problems, lifestyles, etc.

Cons:

• Not suitable for families with teens and young adults

The One-Year Book of Josh McDowell’s Family Devotions

Josh McDowell’s family devotion is a daily devotion intended for the next generation. It is a “Right from Wrong” devotional book to help your family discover the truth about always making the right choices. It is designed to help kids make godly decisions by teaching them biblical values. 

Each of the 365 readings includes a short Bible reading, a key verse, and an inspiring short story. Discussion questions help families think through how to make the right choices in a particular situation. What I love about this book is its helpful feature at the end of each reading. It encourages families to pray, invites them to discuss the issue further, or gives them a practical task to perform.

Pros:

• Stories are relatable to things we deal with in our everyday lives
• This family devotional book is suitable for pre-teens and teens
• The stories are well-written and entertaining
• Includes a daily scripture reading

Cons:

• The language of the book is too cheesy

Jesus Calling Family Devotional by Sarah Young

Sarah Young is one of the bestselling authors of the 365-day devotional Jesus Calling. Her ministry is to encourage her readers in their journey toward intimacy with Christ. Families can read and talk through each devotion together, pray together, and read scripture verses.

This family devotional book has 100 devotions for kids. It is designed to bring families together and offer the family a deeper relationship with Jesus. It has a page for parents and another page with exact content for kids. The words used in the kid’s section are easy to understand. 

Pros:

• Includes a bookmark ribbon to keep track of your page
• The questions are engaging for the whole family
• The vibrant cover is perfect for a coffee table or travel bag
• It is a wonderful gift for families
• It features parallel content for parents and kids

Cons:

• The devotionals are repetitive
• The language used is very direct

The Very Best, Hands-On, Kinda Dangerous by Shoemaker

From the title itself, you’ll know that this devotional book is not your typical family devotional. Shoemaker aims to create family devotionals that are creative, fun, and engaging. That is what this family devotional offers. 

This book is perfect for families already tired of the boring devotional books we see in the bookstore. If you want to laugh, build, explode, and bring the truth of the scripture to life in your household – then this book is for you!

The 52 activities aim to deliver the spiritual impact you desire for your kids. Everybody will enjoy the hands-on, kinda dangerous, totally unforgettable object lessons included here. You’ll be surprised that even dads and “killjoy” teens get to enjoy your weekly family devotional time.

Pros:

• Spot on activities for your family’s spiritual growth together
• One-of-a-kind, unique, over-the-top devotional
• Recommended for families who love to be active
• Includes activities categorized by age group

Cons:

• The activities included require too much work for parents
• Not recommended for families with toddlers

All Together: The Family Devotional by Steve Legg

Steve and Bekah Legg wrote the All Together family devotional book to bring families together. It encourages families to share the big and small things in their everyday lives. Families can explore the Bible from Genesis to the birth, life, and resurrection of Jesus. 

Discover something new each day with a healthy dose of humor and insight. The twelve-week devotional is very down-to-earth and accessible. Every day, the family reads a short Bible passage, a thought to consider, questions to get you talking, and a simple prayer. It also includes entry suggestions each weekend that the family can do together. 

Pros:

• It is perfect for the whole family
• This devotional encourages discussion and prayer together
• You’ll be able to explore Christianity as a unit
• It keeps all the family members involved in the discussion
• It is very biblical

Cons:

• Not recommended for families with teens and young adults

Conclusion

Making time for family devotions initiate deep relationships with God and your children. Making it a habit establishes a sense of unity and direction within families. Family devotionals are a set time designed to build up each member and expand opportunities to pray with and for them.

To make your family devotions fun and engaging, I recommend Kingdom Family Devotional by Tony Evans. This father-son partnership offers a year-long study of themes of spiritual growth. The format provides a lot of flexibility for busy families. They could either read together Monday through Friday or have two nights off each week in the evenings. The best part of this book is that it’s focused on younger kids to older teens.