Teach Your Children
A guest post by Chad Ramsey.
Although there are many things parents should do for their children, nothing is more important than providing appropriate spiritual training.
This does not mean parents should stop making physical provisions for their families (see 1 Timothy 5:8). It does, however, mean we should not neglect spiritual matters because of the many physical activities that monopolize our time.
Remember, one’s soul is more valuable than all the goods of this world (Matthew 16:26), and such is certainly true of our children’s souls.
Parents Must Devote Themselves to God.
Understanding this, Moses instructed Israelites to place the one true God above all else and to convey this truth to their offspring.
The order in which this is to occur is significant. Before attempting to convince others to seek God first in their lives, we must make sure we have devoted ourselves to His service (Matthew 6:33).
Emphasizing this point, Moses wrote:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5).
This admonition does not leave room for selfishness or indifference. God is not to be the object of some of our devotion; He demands our all.
Devotion Begins in the Heart.
In order to accomplish this, we must give our hearts completely to God. Moses continued:
“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:6).
Thus, our allegiance to God must be more than outward compliance. It should sprout from our hearts.
It is little wonder Scripture frequently emphasizes the importance of the heart (see Psalm 119:11; Proverbs 4:23).
Parents Must Teach Their Children.
If one does love God with all of his or her being, it follows that he or she would want to share this love with others. Parents are thus charged in Deuteronomy 6:7-9 with using every opportunity to teach their children about the God who deserves our complete allegiance.
Importantly, the conveyance of this truth does not precede the parents’ devotion to God. Instead, it occurs because of it! Parents are to teach their children to love and devote themselves to God because they love and are devoted to God.
Obviously, children are able to see whether parents truly practice what they preach. Giving pretense to an idea is not the same thing as being devoted to it. For example, it does little good for a parent to proclaim that allegiance to God is most important when he or she fails to make attending the services of the church a priority.
Actions speak louder than words.
If parents are genuinely devoted to God, they will seek to teach their children about God whether they are at home or away, whether in the morning or the evening.
Parents must make every effort to teach their children through both their examples and words.
Chad Ramsey preaches for the Gloster Street Church of Christ in Tupelo, Mississippi. You can access their Bible classes and Chad’s sermons on Gloster Street’s YouTube page.
Chad was - and still is - “my preacher” from when I spent my high school and early college years at Gloster Street. I’m thankful to be able to share some of his writings with you.
Amen