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Encouragement for Today - Jan. 24, 2008

 

 

January 24, 2008

 

Training Our Children to Follow God

By Melanie Chitwood

 

“’Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, 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 forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.’” Deuteronomy 6:4-8 (NLT)

 

Devotion:

God’s Word teaches us that the spiritual training of our children is our responsibility as parents, but to be honest I’ve struggled over the years with how to do this. As I’ve prayed and tried different approaches, the following ideas have guided me.

 

First, as today’s key verse says, before we’re commanded to teach our children anything, we’re told how to live out our own personal relationship with God by loving Him with all our heart. We’ve all heard the phrase that “more is caught than taught.” We need to ask ourselves if we’re living out in our lives the godly principles we want to teach our children. Kids tend to be very sensitive to hypocrisy, so if our children don’t see us modeling God’s truths, they’re likely to tune us out.

 

Secondly, I’ve discovered that love is the most effective teacher. I experienced this firsthand in my life. I became a Christian as a teenager after my Young Life leaders took an interest in me, listened to me, and became involved in my life. They did this for years before I ever committed my life to Christ. Their love for me was genuine and I knew it. No one wants to feel like a project on someone’s Christian “to-do” list. That includes our children. Training our children in God’s principles happens best when our children know that we love them, we care about all aspects of their lives, and we value them as top priorities.

 

Third, I have looked for practical activities that will lead to great conversations with my kids. My favorite is when we sit down at the dinner table and each family member shares his “highs and lows.” A “high” is simply something good that happened that day or week, maybe something that made that person happy. A “low” is something that made him sad or unhappy during the day.

 

Sometimes our sharing time is very light-hearted and silly, but other times it’s more serious, leading to more questions and conversation. Most importantly, this sharing time provides an avenue for me to give my children some ideas for applying God’s truth in a very real and practical way to what’s going on in their lives. It’s become one of our favorite family traditions.

 

As we pray for His help, I have found that God is always willing to give us great ideas for pointing our kids to Him.

 

Dear Lord, thank You for the children You’ve given me. Give me Your wisdom, strength and discipline in raising them to be godly men and women. Let my life be an example of loving and following You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

Related Resources:

 

A Mom’s Guide to Making Memories Last call 877-731-4663 x 208 to order this resource

 

Do You Know Him?

 

Mining for Gold in the Heart of Your Child Character Chart and Message on CD by Renee Swope

 

What a Husband Needs from His Wife by Melanie Chitwood

 

Application Steps: 

Try sharing “highs and lows.” This can be done at the dinner table, riding in the car, or during family devotions.

 

Let your children see you reading your Bible. Show them how important it is by not letting them interrupt this time.

In everyday conversations share some of the things God’s teaching you.

 

Try memorizing Scripture together.

 

Play a CD in the car of the Bible on tape or Christian songs.

 

Reflections: 

When observing your life, what do your children learn about God?

 

Does your life reflect that your children are amongst your top priorities?

 

Do you play and pray together as a family?

 

Power Verses:

Proverbs 22:6, “Point your kids in the right direction — when they're old they won't be lost.” (The Message)

Ephesians 6:4, “…bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (NIV)

 

Proverbs 31 Ministries

616-G, Matthews-Mint Hill Road

Matthews, NC 28105

www.Proverbs31.org