Faith is Caught not Taught

Lead your family!

Deuteronomy 6:1-2 “This is the command—the statutes and ordinances—the Lord your God has instructed me to teach you, so that you may follow them in the land you are about to enter and possess. 2 Do this so that you may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life by keeping all His statutes and commands

I am giving you, your son, and your grandson,

and so that you may have a long life.

This verse The wording here indicates that God’s commands—the statutes and ordinances had a threefold purpose:

1. Knowing, obeying, and passing on God’s commands is an expression of reverence for God
2. Knowing, obeying, and passing on God’s commands will make the experience in the land that they were entering as God desired for them.
3. Knowing and obeying God’s commands was the best means of teaching this devotion of God to the next generation.

Our kids are watching us. They are forming their own values and faith. They are looking for models that confirm or deny whether the things we say match our actions. They look to us parents as models.

Our kids love us and desire for us to show them the way. The example we demonstrate in front of our kids will have a profound and lasting effect on their lives.

God commanded the parents to take this calling to model faith very seriously.

Deuteronomy 6:4-8 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

I want to break these phrases down and be practical about how to effectively fulfill this calling:

• Deuteronomy 6:6 “These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart." Parents must take them to heart—commit them to memory and make them an fundamental part of their lives and homes.
• Deuteronomy 6:7 “Repeat them to your children." Parents are to Knowing, obey, and practice the laws of God to their children. This command presumes that parents/teachers know their substance, which in turn presumes personal understanding, concentrated effort, and individual study.
• Deuteronomy 6:7 “Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, ” When you pair “house” with “road,”, the contrast here infers all of life is the whole. In other words, godly parents are to speak of the laws of God wherever they are, and at all times (see Proverbs 6:21–22).
• Deuteronomy 6:7 “when you lie down and when you get up. ” Again, this contrast infers that knowing and obeying God’s commands is an “all-day-and-all-night” effort. It is not something that can be turned off and ignored for a while.
• Deuteronomy 6:8 “Bind them as a sign on your hand ” The term “hand” assumes that that knowing and obeying God’s commands should be demonstrated in your actions.
• Deuteronomy 6:8 “and let them be a symbol on your forehead. ” The term “forehead” supposes that that knowing and obeying God’s commands should be at the forefront of you mind and thoughts. Not only must parents memorize and rehearse God’s commands in order to adopt them, they must also wear them on the body as a symbol and reminder of their importance.
• Deuteronomy 6:9 “Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. ” This refers to the Jewish practice of mezuzot—writing passages of Scripture on doors, lintels, and doorposts of private houses. It can also be assumed that knowing and obeying God’s commands should occur not only when you are at home, but also when your are away.

Being a parent isn’t easy. Perhaps one of the toughest burdens is wondering if you have been a parent who has influenced your in a healthy way or you have somehow messed up the kids your care for so deeply.

These practical challenges are ways to show our kids our love and devotion to God. Parents can trust God to keep His promises.

Dr. Phil Sallee, Pastor
twitter.com/philsallee
facebook.com/phil.sallee
philsallee.info
nbchurch.info
nbfamilies.info