Deuteronomy 6.6-9
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 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. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
We're excited to create a resource to help equip and empower parents and guardians as the primary spiritual leader of their children. As a father I know that life can be crazy and hectic. And honestly, being a parent can sometimes be overwhelming. As my boys are getting older, I'm realizing that there are more and more things in our life that are asking of or requiring more of our time; practices, school activities, friends, working out, yard work, and so much more. And if we're not careful, we can easily fall into a routine where the only spiritual moments we have as a family are on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights at church.
In Deuteronomy 6.6-9, we see that as parents, we're called to be instructors and to remind our children of God's Word "when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." In other words, everyday, in all moments - not just at church service times. While we hope that at church your family is fed spiritually, we also want you to understand your feeding role for your household throughout the week. Your influence as a parent will far outweigh and outlast any influence that I or any other pastor will have in the life of your kids. Your faithful efforts to disciple your children will impact the Christian life remaining in your family for generations.
So with that, our goal is to provide a resource every week to encourage and empower you to fulfill your parental calling. We'll keep it simple, cause really, who needs more complexity in life? And we'll keep it encouraging; cause the attacks of the enemy are hard enough and we certainly don't want to help him do his job. Ultimately, as pastors, we want to take the backseat of being the spiritual hero and empower you as mom and dad to shine as the true spiritual heroes in your child's life.
Practical Tip:
Pray with your kids (out loud) once a day.
While praying out loud can be scary, it doesn't have to be complicated. In our house, every night at bedtime, we tuck the boys in and say a simple prayer. In that prayer I make sure to cover four things: 1. Thank God for today; 2. Ask for rest and good dreams through the night (one of my kids used to have a lot of nightmares); 3. Pray for loved ones or any of us who are sick; and 4. Express excitement for the opportunity to serve God tomorrow;
Your prayer may look different than mine, but the goal is that your children will see you express faith in a real way. Starting this process may stir up feelings of failure or inadequacy. If so, may Romans 8.1 minister to you: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The time to start is now.
And here's a truth for you - if God is calling you to do this - which He is - He will equip and empower you to fulfill it. Praying for you, mom and dad.
Pastor Matt
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