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. While we think of a place to teach our children, 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 and studying 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 compelling me to share with my children.
Another big lesson for me was to be watching for as well as 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 our verse instructs parents to instruct, it gives parents a variety of ways to INSTRUCT children. I find it gives 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 BREAKFAST and BIBLE BEFORE BED. Friends, start each day with a Bible verse and end 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 that you are teaching some of God’s Word to your children!
Being direct, what was the last Bible verse and/or 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?
How can you implement Bible Before Breakfast and Bible Before Bed in your family?
Continue Strong passing God’s Word on to the next generation!
And remember to DATE THE WORD