Deuteronomy 11:19 “You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
Deuteronomy 11:19 instructs parents to instruct their children and gives parents a variety of ways to instruct children. So often we think of a place to teach our children, but it is a person(s) that is to teach our children and the first person with the top responsibility of teaching God’s Word to their children is the parents of the children.
For some of you, this is incredibly challenging. It was for me. It is one thing to be a learner and a whole different thing to be a teacher. I had to learn to teach. One of the lessons I learned for teaching was that I was to be learning not just for myself but for my children. This meant that during my quiet time, I was reading for me and for them. This meant that when listening to a sermon I was listening for me and for them. There would be numerous times I would read or hear something that I knew the Holy Spirit was impressing me to share with my children.
Another big lesson for me was to be watching for and creating teachable moments to pour into my children Biblical truth. Teachable moments arise when questions come up. Be ever so careful when your child is curious and asking questions about spiritual things. Don’t quench that curiosity. Give answers to their questions or find the answers. Matter of fact, fuel curiosity by asking questions. Jesus not only answered questions from the disciples He Himself would ask questions!
As you look at the instructions from Deut. 11:19, it does give some very practical “suggestions” for teaching your children. There is the time sitting in your house which today may be when you are eating a meal. There is the time when you are walking which today would be driving. Then there is when you lie down and when you rise up. I have a friend who likes to say bible before bed and bible before breakfast. Friends, end each day with a Bible verse and start each day with a Bible verse. It could be the same one for a week. It could be a different one for each day. What is important is you are teaching some of God’s Word to your children!
Being direct, what was the last Biblical truth you taught one of your children? How are you applying the teaching of Deuteronomy 6 and Deuteronomy 11:19 to teach your children?
Continue Strong passing God’s Word on to the next generation!
And remember to DATE The Word