02/12 - Spiritually Leading Your Children
Sermon Series: I DO, WE DID, NOW WHAT?
"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." Deuteronomy 6:7 (ESV)
As a parent of a two-year-old daughter, it amazes me how much she learns from watching my wife and me. She will grow into the woman God wants her to be and she will learn what that is from us. The challenging part of our role as parents is to model being a follower of Jesus and spiritually lead her to also be a follower of Jesus. This responsibility entrusted to me can be intimidating but I’m thankful God provides guidance from his Word. In Deuteronomy, God tells us four ways to take advantage of occasions in our daily routine to impact spiritual teaching to our children.
* when you sit - in moments throughout the day we can "be with our children"; tell them we love them and that God created them and loves them very much. The dinner meal can be an opportunity to sit together as a family, pray, and reflect on God.
* when you walk by the way - not many of us walk as they did in ancient times, but when we ride in the car with our children, we have an opportunity for spiritual conversations. It’s a great time to introduce Christian music. My daughter loves to sing with the David Crowder Band and Chris Tomlin in the car!
* when you lie down – we can reflect on the day during a child's bedtime and give thanks to God for his work in our lives. Praying with your children and reading to them are also excellent ways to familiarize your children with speaking to God in prayer.
* when you rise - mornings can be a hectic time for families but developing simple and quick habits like saying a prayer together teaches our children the importance of beginning your day with God.
It doesn’t have to be formal to take everyday moments and lead your child spiritually. Andrew Peterson, my classmate from Bible College who is now a Christian recording artist, sings a song called "All the Way Home" and in one verse he writes,
"When they sat in their home,
When they walked along the road,
When they slept and when they rose,
The words of the Lord were impressed on their minds,
And after all this time,
I'm carried along like a leaf on a river of faith..."
This song celebrates the legacy of faith that Andrew is a part of because his grandparents and parents decided it was important to lead their family to know and follow Jesus. What legacy are you leaving for your children? How are you spirituality leading them? It’s not too late to start but we must make the commitment to begin, and commit to continue.
Prayer: Father, as I look to spiritually lead my children to know and serve you I ask you to help me identify moments in my day when I can invest in my children’s spiritual development. I would also ask that you help me to grow and develop as a follower of you so that I can in turn help my children to grow. In closing Father, I ask that you would place within me a vision for my children which will motivate and sustain me to make their spiritual development a priority in my life and strengthen me in those times when I am tired or discouraged because I can see what lies on the other side of this commitment. Amen.