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Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Extraordinary Mission {Deuteronomy 4:32 - 6:25}


We live ordinary lives, but we are on an extraordinary mission.  As a parent, we have a lot on our shoulders and children should never be thought of as a nice addition to our lives.  They are a blessing from God and they are only in our lives for a moment.

To my children:  I want to apologize for not teaching you to value God.  Please forgive me.  I cannot change your life, but I plead with you to fear God and put Him first in your life.

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I have not been a perfect, God-fearing parent.  I haven’t always placed God first in my life.  I have struggled with who I am and whose I am and didn’t find the truth for a long time.  I have struggled with guilt and shame for the majority of my life for not following the “right” way, but praise the Lord, His grace and mercy are great and He leads me on the path of righteousness.

Deuteronomy 6 is the best parenting handbook we can find and you can now toss out all the other parenting books you received when your children were born and settle down here and take notes.

We are to teach our children the truth about God.  “Hear O Israel.  The LORD is our God, the Lord alone.” (6:4). There is only one God and He has revealed Himself to us.  We cannot make Him up to be whatever we want Him to be.  It seems every generation wants to redefine God in a way they think is appropriate for them.  There’s always something about Him they want to change.  And so I ask you, does that offend you?  Do His commandments seem to narrow for you?

We are to teach our children to love God.  “And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”  (6:5).  We are to teach our children to delight in nothing more than God.  Not money, fame , us – nothing.

We are to teach our children to trust God.  “Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with amazing power.  Before our eyes the LORD did miraculous signs and wonders, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people.  He brought us out of Egypt so He could give us this land He had solemnly promised to give our ancestors.”  (6:21-23).  We need to teach our children that God is trustworthy and that He keeps His promises.

We are to teach our children to fear God.  “And the LORD our God commanded us to obey all these laws and to fear Him for our own prosperity and well-being, as is now the case.”  (6:24).  This is not a fear like a scary monster, but it’s how we recognize how essential God is for our own good (…for our own prosperity and well-being…).  We need to teach our children to recognize the value of God in our lives and to take precaution to not do anything to break or damage it.

We are to teach our children the gospel.  “In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these stipulations, laws, and regulations that the LORD our God has given us?” (6:20-21)  We are to teach our children that we obey God because He has given Himself to us.  This is how we learn to love and trust and value Him.  When we see His part in our lives is for our good, we learn to fear Him in the right way.  Our children’s relationship with God is our primary responsibility.  Their relationship with us is secondary.

How do we teach these things?  One way is through deliberate saturation.  “Repeat them again and again to your children.  Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again.  Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead.  Write them on the door posts of your house and on your gate.”  (6:7-9)  I want to share some points I discovered while I researched this; the average child spends 25 minutes per week with their dad; 25 hours in front of the TV; and 50 hours at school, and many times that is in a public school where the educators may or may not fear God.  In other words, take responsibility for what your kids are learning.  We need to mark our homes as God’s territory.  You can do that by listening to Christian music and messages while your children are home with you or when you are riding in the car.  Pay attention to the TV and movies, and video games they are playing.  Use opportunities wisely.  Did you know that less than 10% of the population reads the bible with their kids or participate in bible study? 

Another way is to prioritize God’s community.  I know many parents want their kids to be involved in extracurricular activities because they believe it will help them get into college.  But don’t you care more about where your kid will spend eternity than where they go to college?  Remember, they will look like their community.  So you, as their parent, must arrange their priorities and make God the center of their lives.

The second way we can teach our children is through first-hand testimony.  “In the future your children will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of these stipulations, laws, and regulations that the LORD our God has given us? Then you must tell them, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with amazing power.  Before our eyes the LORD did miraculous signs and wonders, dealing terrifying blows against Egypt and Pharaoh and all his people.  He brought us out of Egypt so He could give us this land He had solemnly promised to give our ancestors.”  (6:20-23).  When your children ask you, you need to tell them of your experiences – there is no substitute for first-hand testimony.  What matters to you, will matter to your children.  What you love – they will learn to love.  If you delight in God, then they will.  If you make God your most valuable possession, they will learn that. 

Your children will see how excited you get when you get a new car, than what we do about ministry.  They will see how excited you get for a vacation than for people coming to Christ.  They will see how easily you skip church and God’s community.  They see how little we do in ministry.  They see what we love.  If we don’t delight in God, they won’t delight in Him either. 

Do you kids know that you delight in God?  That you see Him as more desirable than any other thing?  Do they see you seek Him on a day-by-day basis?  Do they hear you talk about Him?  Do you demonstrate a first-hand fear of God?  A respect and awe of God that’s shown in how you obey?  Do you present yourself consistently as under His authority?  Do you confess your sins to your children?  Showing them that you are not God.  And that you are just like them – we are both under the authority of God.  Can you tell stories about how you trust God?  The ways that He has provided for you?  Your kids can see that.  They will become what you are.

I began this post with an apology to my children because I was not the example I wish I could have been.  I knew I wanted my children to grow up in a Christian environment and I chose to send them to a Christian school.  My public school upbringing simply left me with too many questions and led me into a lot of trouble.  Their education challenged me over and over because I was not equipped with biblical answers.  I felt like I learned right alongside of them.  And it was tough.  The pull of the world was always tugging at me, yet I wanted to see God through child-like eyes.  Over and over I prayed and the scales slowly fell from my eyes. 

Our children are fighting for their lives and despite our lack of godly knowledge, we can begin today to teach and encourage them to be godly children and swim upstream and go against the flow of society and follow Jesus.

We have to remember that we are all on this journey, and we are at different phases/places of this journey.  Please don’t get discouraged with why your child(ren) aren’t understanding God’s ways.  He’s working in them just as He’s working in you.  Be the Christ-like example of love and mercy, and He will give you grace.