Do Not Indulge

  “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children 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.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)  This is the command that was given to the nation of Israel when Moses speaks to the nation of Israel reminding them of the law God had given to them.  He reminds them that they are not only responsible for following the law, but they must teach it to their children as well.  Though we are no longer under the law of God, but under grace, we are still to teach our children about the Lord and his word.  Ephesians 6:4 tells us, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”  While Fathers are given the command and responsibility for teaching children, mothers are involved as well.  Mothers and fathers are to work together to teach their children.  

So what is involved in teaching our children?  While Fathers are given the command and responsibility for teaching children, mothers are involved as well.  Mothers and fathers are to work together to teach their children.  We want our children to know who God is, including their Creator, Savior, and Lord.  We also want our children to learn from God’s word, which will involve teaching them to read and study Scripture for themselves.  It may seem like there are a lot of things to teach, but everywhere and everything can be an opportunity to teach.  I will admit, I am not perfect at using every opportunity to point my children to Christ.  There are times when I fail, especially when I am caught up in a moment of anger or frustration.  However, we should always strive to use both formal and informal means of teaching our children about the Lord.  

There are formal means of teaching our children about God and his word.  God has put his people in the fellowship of the Church not only for our own growth and support, but also in the teaching of our children.  This is one reason I advocate for the whole family sitting in church together every week.  Let me tell you, it’s not always easy.  I currently have a very active one-year-old who has no interest in sitting, let alone sitting for extended periods of time in a confined area.  We regularly have to take trips out of the service to walk in the hall or go to the nursery, but eventually he will learn.  Some churches offer Sunday School or other formal classes as well.  While these classes can be helpful, they should not keep children separated from their family for all of worship.  While it can be good to have learning taking place on various levels to help younger children understand, they can still learn from the sermon as well.  Children learn by participating in worship alongside their parents.  Even before they understand what is being taught, they are learning the importance of worship when you make it a priority to be there every week.  They learn that we worship God in prayer, song, and Scripture reading as they participate in the worship service.  They learn the importance of hearing God’s Word preached, and they see the gospel every time they watch the Church participate in communion.  We can also follow up with what was taught on Sunday as we go throughout the week.  You may want to reread and talk about the text from the sermon on Sunday.  You may want to read the next passage of Scripture to be familiar with the text.  Our church goes over at least one question from the Catechism each week.  Even if you do not do that in your service, catechisms were created for the express purpose of teaching.  Use them as the tools they were designed to be and teach your children the questions and answers.  This would be a great way to start family worship or as a beginning Bible curriculum, if you are homeschooling (or home supplement schooling).

While these formal means of training are important, they are not the only way to teach your children.  If we look back at the verses from Deuteronomy, we see that the people of Israel were told to wear Scripture and post it in their homes.  They were to have continual reminders of God’s word.  We can literally do this by posting Scripture in our home, but we can also provide these reminders in our conversations.  We can remind our children that God is the Creator as we enjoy a walk in the woods.  We can teach our children about our wonderful Savior as part of our discipline.  As our children get older and take on more responsibilities, we can point them to Christ and Scripture as their guide.  We can encourage our children not only to take time each day to spend in Bible reading and prayer, we should also be modeling this in our own lives.  It can be hard as a busy mom, with stacks of laundry and dishes threatening to bury us, to take time to stop and read God’s word, but it is vital that we do.  Our children need to see just how important it is to feed on God’s word daily.  They need to see that Scripture is our source of truth that guides our daily lives.  

Our children learn most by watching us.  I see so many behaviors (both good and bad) in my children that they have obviously picked up from my husband and me.  This can be both cute and frustrating.  It stresses the importance of living our lives in a way that points others to Christ.  The primary people we are charged with teaching and discipling are our own children!  We should take every opportunity to teach our children of this hope that we have in Christ.  If we don’t teach our children, others will, and we may not like what they are taught.  It isn’t easy.  Some days it can be downright exhausting.  However, we are the ones primarily responsible for what our children are learning.  Embrace the calling God has placed on your life when he blessed you with children.  Encourage and support others who are teaching their children.  Never forget that the Lord will equip you for the task to which he has called you.