Family Friday: Teaching Your Children

Deuteronomy 6:5-7- You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.

God has really been dealing with me about the importance of teaching my children His Word. This may sound strange to some, but one of my biggest fears is that my children would learn more about God at church than at home. Throughout Scripture, God makes it plain that it is the parents primary role to teach their children God's Word.

Overall, I think we have been heading in the right direction. A day doesn't go by that we are not talking about God and His Word in our home. We talk about God in the car. We pray together at meals and other times. That is not something we have to think about doing, that is just what we talk about. Sometimes, we may not be talking directly to the boys about God, but we are talking in front of them about Him. There is always room for improvement, but for the most part I am pleased with the path we are on in that area. By the grace of God, my boys' knowledge and understanding of Scripture is far ahead of many other children their age that we are around. They are definitely ahead of where their dear old Dad was at their ages. Sometimes I am blown away by what they remember and how they express their thoughts about God.

Another bonus we have had this year is our boys being homeschooled. Each day begins with Bible study and catechism (a series of questions and answers that are memorized to teach Biblical truths) lessons. Kelli does a great job with that. When I am off, that is something that I get to help with. Once again, I think we are moving in the right direction in that area as well.

There are a couple of things that I have been convicted about lately, though. Did you notice the verses above? It begins the instructions to teach your children with the command to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, and might. That hits me like a lightning bolt. Do my boys see that kind of love for God in my life? How can I teach them to love and obey God when they don't see me loving and treasuring Christ supremely?

Here is the other thing: "You shall teach them diligently to your sons." That is the area that I think I have been failing on. I think we have been doing well with this part: "You shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up." We do that without even thinking about it. I haven't been sitting down with them on a daily basis and teaching them God's Word, though.

And here is the kicker: The thought has occurred to me that I spend more time teaching and preparing to teach the youth at church than I do my own children. God has convicted me of that in a big way. God has entrusted me with three precious boys. How can I not make the most of the time He has given me with them? How can I have the nerve to neglect teaching them while I teach others? So, the last week we have been having Bible study together each day. We read Scripture, talk about it, and I pray for them. We've been doing that together and we've been doing it daily. And we intend to keep doing it. We've got a long way to go, but at least we finally got on the right track.

Pray for me that I would grow in faithfulness as a father and husband. Pray that God would use this time in His Word in my boys' lives in a big way. And finally, pray that God would convict you of any changes you need to make in your own family.

Until next time, blessings and peace...