Teach God's Word By Sharing His Love And Truth
God created families to nurture the next generation. Food, shelter, education, and emotional development are all good resources that parents give their children. But what God talks about most is the need for our children to know him and his love for them through his Word.
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. —Deuteronomy 11:18-21
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Read and learn his Word, think about what it means for your life, treasure it in your heart because you can’t teach what you don’t know.
Teach his Word to your children. God wants parents to authentically share his Word with their children as part of everyday life. He gives several examples of times and circumstances throughout the day. While sitting at home or walking along the road are more spontaneous teaching moments, and waking up and bedtime are more deliberately planned. All of these options are important.
Talk about his Word when you sit at home. In the quiet moments of daily life, take time with your children to listen to them and share the truths of God you think they may need, like knowing they are safe in his love, forgiveness, law, and promises. Ask them leading questions to find out what they may need.
Talk about his Word when you walk along the road. This could include all active times outside of the house—car rides to or from school, walking, playgrounds. There’s something about our bodies moving that helps us think through situations and learn better. If you are on a journey to something stressful for your child, like a test at school or a doctor’s visit, it is a good time to share the truth that he is with us. Also, if you’re looking at the sky painted with the sunset or the scenic beauty of the outdoors, these are great times to reflect on God’s creation and power.
Talk about his Word when you lie down for bed or when you get up. The beginning and the end of the day are times that God wants children to know he is right there with them. Imagine the last thing a child hears before he closes his eyes in sleep is a Bible story (illustrated for smaller children) showing the powerful love of Jesus for him, a Christian song that is familiar to him, or a prayer about the joys and anxieties of the day he has had.
Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates. God wants reminders of his Word in front of us. Pictures, Post-it notes, screen savers and music that contain God’s Word are what it would look like in our culture today.
…so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the LORD swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. God is a brilliant teacher, and he knows us well. He knows how busy and burdened parents are. He knows how children learn. He is the most important person in their lives, for his Words point them to the unconditional love of Jesus who died and rose to give us eternal life. God’s way for parents regularly, authentically, and naturally communicating his love and truth through the Bible is how children will know him and know that he knows them and has saved them through the mercy of his Son Jesus on the cross.