Deuteronomy 5-8
Training Our Children

Deuteronomy 6 is perhaps the closest thing to a child-training manual found in scripture. In these short verses, God instructed (and still instructs) His people on how to raise children. He said, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

Three things can be noted from this passage as necessary if children are to be raised properly. One, parents are the primary spiritual instructor for their children. While churches may have Bible classes and teachers may expend great energies in teaching, the church's primary responsibility is not the training up of your child-it is yours. Churches, teachers, preachers, elders or others may help, and be a great help. But, God never intended they carry out the day-by-day activities needed to raise spiritually minded offspring. That task falls to you, parent.

Second, the parents must be prepared with a clear understanding of exactly Who God is. Then, they must, as parents, be fully devoted to Him. This devotion must permeate their heart and soul. And, it must permeate them "might"ily. This means fathers and mothers who want their children to go to heaven one day must love the Lord, study His word and commit themselves to faithfulness. If they are unwilling to do that, they cannot even begin the process of raising godly children. You cannot pass on to your children what you do not have yourself.

Finally, any plan to raise godly offspring must be comprehensive. It is not a just a "Saturday afternoon get the Sunday morning lesson ready" thing, nor a "three times a week" exercise. The only thing those will produce is a child who only thinks of God on occasions. The message of v. 7 is we must look for any and all opportunities to teach our children about their Creator and what He expects from them-inside, outside, getting up, lying down. Parents must show their children that God is a real member of their household. That He is thought of throughout the day. That we make decisions based on Who He is and what He expects.

Then, and only then, can you and I expect to have even a shot at rearing children who will live eternally with God. Let us commit to this challenge!