The Word - May 25, 2012 - TEACHING OUR CHILDREN THE WORD OF GOD IS A COMMAND

" "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your foreheads as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates" (Deuteronomy 6:5-9).

The above Scripture is part of the "Shema" which clearly teaches that extensive family biblical teaching was essential under the Old Testament law. This biblical principal of continual and consistent family teaching is also emphasized in the New Testament. Ephesians 6:4 states that "Do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

We are not only to teach what the Bible says, but teach what it means as well. Notice that the emphasis is on teaching by action. Thus biblical family teaching is more than just a short devotional each day. Family devotions must be a lifestyle that goes on all day long (When you lie down and when you rise up).

One of the greatest benefits of biblical family devotions is that future decision-making for the entire family becomes more biblical based, even in small matters. In the Old Testament, the inability to make proper decisions was one of the sad results when God's ancient people failed to keep their covenant with the Lord. This had been predicted as part of the contract. In Deut. 28:20,28 we read, "The Lord will send upon you curses, confusion, and rebuke in all you undertake to do....the Lord will smite you with blindness and bewilderment of heart; and you shall grope at noon, as a blind man gropes in darkness."

What a vivid description of a lack of decision-making capacity!

God couldn't communicate our responsibility to us more clearly! Families who want their children to make biblical decisions in the future must begin living and teaching God's Word today!