Blake Allen, Student Pastor, LHBC
Deuteronomy 11:18-21
18 “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 20 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.
One of the misconceptions some parents may have is that it is up to the church to teach their children spiritual truths. While the church is an assembly of believers for the purpose of preaching, teaching, mutual edification, etc., the primary institution for spiritual development is actually the family.
Parents are called out in Scripture to be the primary disciple makers of their children. The church comes alongside of the family to aid in the spiritual development of children; not to replace or take over parents spiritual responsibilities to their children. Deuteronomy 11 is a great reminder for us in this regard.
So the challenge for us is to cultive an environment for family worship. This may look different for every family. In a busy culture, we must be constantly reminded of what God defines as priorities. We must find time for what is important. Another way to put it is like this: we will make time for what is important to us. Is that the spiritual development of our kids?
Here is a sample of what family worship could look like for the week:
Sunday: Talk about the Sunday sermon together
Monday: Pray for your neighbors, those lost, and missionaries around the world.
Tuesday: Sing worship songs (Check out Watoto childrens choir & Seed Family Worship)
Wednesday: Pray for the church and attend Midweek worship together
Thursday: Memorize Scripture together
Friday: Pray for our country and it’s leaders
Saturday: Invite neighbors to Christ. Invite neighbors to church.
Everyday: Read God’s word
Feel free to collaborate with other parents to see how they do family worship. There is no perfect model. However it looks, the Biblical implication is to do something consistently. Like Nike–just do it.
If the example above seems to routine for your appetite, define what “teach my words to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” looks like for your family. It’s amazing the world of difference there is between having and not having spiritual development in the home.
Maybe you are one without kids. Do you have sibilings? Nieces or nephews? Neighbors who need to hear the gospel? Are you in a position to influence someone with the gospel (the answer is always yes!)?
Grandparents your main job is not to spoil the grandkids and send them home–although this is a great thing! Deuteronomy 4:9 says, “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children.”
Let us leave an impressionable mark on the lives of our children.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father, help us to steward our families well. Give us your wisdom and grace in these day. Amen.
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.