Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 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 6:4-7 (ESV)
READING: Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Your family is your first congregation. If you don’t win them for Christ, who will? If you don’t shepherd them, who will? Church planting is so demanding that some church planters neglect spouse and children. But God’s plan is for our family to be our first ministry.
The famous shema passage of Deuteronomy 6 establishes the pattern: First, know the Lord personally (vv. 4, 5). You shall love the Lord with all your heart, your soul, your might (v. 5). If you don’t love the Lord personally, you’ll never share His love with anyone else.
Then make sure you share that love with your family: teach the word of God “diligently to your children” (v. 7a). Don’t leave it to your spouse, Sunday school teachers or youth leaders.
And share your faith with your children during the course of your daily life: “when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (v. 7b).
We can’t change our children’s hearts. But we can make sure that they have our affection, our attention and our prayers.
Father, Help me draw close to You each day, so I can shepherd my family and teach my children. May each one of them find and follow Christ. Amen.
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