God has given US the Responsibility

Wednesdays in the Word


Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 
Deut 6:4-7


I am sure that most of us have read this verse many times.  But I have been reflecting on it this week.  Breaking it down... asking myself... what does this REALLY mean... and am I obeying God to the fullest in this task He has given me as a parent?


Am I Loving God with ALL of my heart, soul, and strength?  AND am I TEACHING these things to my children?  


The Lord has really been impressing on my heart that it is NOT enough for the kids to go to church...it is NOT enough for us to have family prayer each night....  BUT AM I TEACHING THEM TO LOVE GOD WITH ALL THEIR HEART, SOUL, AND STRENGTH? And HOW am I doing that?

I have been reading a book lately that is really challenging me.  It is called "Shepherding a Child's Heart" by Ted Tripp.  In it he challenges the methods and motivations we as parents use to get our children to behave.  We focus so much on behavior.... and employ many different TACTICS to get the results we want.  Tripp challenges us to deal with our children's HEARTS when they disobey and misbehave....why they are doing things...and to teach them to do right - not b/c they will get a reward...or not because we will punish them... but because they love God and choose to obey Him and do what is right.

Ouch.  I like every other parent have gotten really good at bribing, having charts, giving rewards for good behavior.... but the truth reveals itself that when I am not in the room - I see a lack of fruit of the Spirit in their lives.  They only obey when Mom is watching to be sure they walk the reward/punishment line correctly.  Are the girls kind to each other b/c God wants them to be kind?  Do they tell the truth b/c they want to please God... not b/c they are afraid of being in trouble?

The only way they will ever get to this point is if I TEACH them that the only thing important in life - is to LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, ALL YOUR SOUL, AND ALL YOUR STRENGTH. They are not going to just somehow pick it up at church or through just family prayer time.  God, in these verses above, instructs us as parents to teach our children what it MEANS to Love HIM.  To talk about it at HOME (not just church), when you walk along the road (for us it could be car time), when you lie down, when you get up....

I don't know about you - but I am being challenged in my Spirit - to find a WAY and a TIME to TEACH my children Spiritual truths.  This requires that we be INTENTIONAL - doing it ON PURPOSE!