July 12 -- "A Sacred Trust: Teaching Your Children"

 Today's Reading: Deuteronomy 11

"A Sacred Trust: Teaching Your Children"

One of the most sobering and weighty commands in Scripture is God’s demand that parents teach their children His word.  It is sobering because the task is so big.  It is weighty because our child’s eternal life depends upon it.

Most parents are very aware that a “good parent” is someone who strives to make decisions in the best interest of their child. They give them a safe place to live, clothes to wear, food and nutrition.  Often, they try to make time for their child and teach them to have positive self esteem and how to be resilient and solve problems.  They do their best to show love to their child.  They often set limits and discipline their child to help establish healthy boundaries.  The best parents get involved in their child’s activities such as school and sports.  Often, however, Christian parents miss this most important aspect of being a parent – depositing the Word of God into the child’s heart and mind.

Here in Deuteronomy 11, God does not assign the responsibility of child-teaching to the priests, the religious leaders, the schools, the neighbors, the teachers, or to the community as a whole. He does not delegate this duty to the Sunday school or VBS or children’s church. He very explicitly says, “Parent-this is YOUR job!”

So, how do we teach our children the word of God?  Actually, it is quite simple.  If His word is in you and part of your heart and soul, you will naturally transfer it to your children.  Nobody trusts a salesperson who doesn’t use the product they’re pushing!  If we want our kids to know and love God’s Word, it starts with us knowing it and demonstrating it in our actions.  Our kids should see us reading the Bible and living the Bible and speaking the Bible in our daily lives.  They should see us applying Biblical truth to our situations, decisions, and relationships. They should see the fruit of the Spirit coming out of our lives as we feed daily on God’s Word.

The result of being a lover of God and a lover of His word is that we will become loving, gentle, forgiving, self-controlled, offering grace and mercy daily, and serving our family with humility and compassion.  This is how we teach our children the Word of God.  By doing so, we are equipping them with the weapons they’ll need to withstand the storms of life and to stand firm in Christ and to one day graduate to eternal life!