Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Deuteronomy 6

To kick off the first post in the law book category, I thought I should start with my fave. This chapter contains the passage that we base a lot of children's ministry beliefs about the role of parents in leading their children's spiritual growth. That it's an ongoing full-time preoccupation occurring at every available moment.

This is easily my greatest passion in life. I think as a general rule, no one is terribly concerned about successfully passing our faith on to the next generation. This is an easy thing to say we believe, but a much harder one to live out. If it is true that strategically and statistically it is more important to reach the next generation than the current one, then that should be a factor in every decision we make as parents, as teachers, and as ministry leaders. Even if you are none of those things, every believer bears a responsibility for sharing our faith.

I also think the tremendous blessings that God promises to His people when they obey His commands and pass them on to the next generation. Besides the privilege of being the people who bear His Name, we get to live long in the land God has promised. I think that can apply a lot of different ways to us as His spiritual children. Maybe differently to different people and in different times. But regardless, I want to make it a priority to faithfully teach my children, and their whole generation, to faithfully serve God.

That's a pretty tall order. I hope you will all join me.

1 comments:

Bea said...

Yes, I told God a few years after both my daughters finished school that "I had raised my kids". He prompltly told me they are all HIS kids. Ministering to kids is a high calling indeed.