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. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 {ESV}
Life as a mom in our 24/7 culture is hectic. It’s October, which means moms of preschoolers are playing, cleaning, working, and trying to make it until bedtime {and squeeze in some outside time before winter comes and we are stuck inside all.day.long}, while moms of school-aged kids are in the heavy-duty work of carpooling, lunch-making, homework-helping, and sports-running.
I understand. I really do. So please don’t throw something at the computer when I suggest that, in all our busyness, we may be guilty of forgetting the most important thing.
Moms {and Dads}, our most important job each day is the spiritual nurturing of our children.
Take a look at our passage from Deuteronomy – you shall teach them diligently to your children … when you sit … when you walk … when you lie down … when you rise. God has given us the task of discipling our children. No one else knows them like we do, and no one else can shape their hearts like we can.
It feels daunting. Our tendency is to leave it to the “professionals” – ministers, Sunday School teachers, Christian school teachers. But the responsibility is ours, and God has uniquely equipped us for the task.
Don’t panic. You can do this. Our whole series this month is rooted in the instruction of Deuteronomy 6. We are so passionate about helping you with tools and talking points to lead your children on their journey with Jesus.
What to Share with Your Child about Discipleship:
A disciple is a follower of Jesus. When we make a decision to follow Jesus, we don’t automatically know everything we need to know about how to live as his follower. Part of the way we lead you as parents is to help you learn and grow in Jesus. This is called discipleship. We want to teach you about Jesus and how he instructs us to live. We do this through reading our Bible or Bible stories, talking about what we read, praying together and worshiping as a family. When we do these things regularly, we will grow in Jesus and better know how to show his love to others.
Ideas for Discussion:
1. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 talks about passing our faith down to our children. It tells us to teach our children wherever we are, in whatever we are doing. This is why we talk about God and his son Jesus regularly in our home. We want to honor God by sharing our faith with you so you can grow to know him more.
2. Read John 15 together. Talk about what it means to be connected to Jesus like a vine is connected to its branches. When we stay connected to him and grow with him through discipleship, we will produce good fruit. This is how others know we are a follower of Jesus.
3. What are some ways we can stay connected to Jesus? {Let your child answer this question before giving them ideas.} When we read the Bible, pray and worship God, we are connecting ourselves to him and learning from him. This is how we grow as followers of Jesus.
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15:8
Ideas for Activity:
1. Establish a time for family worship. You can find lots of books and resources on family worship {Donald Whitney’s Family Worship
2. Invest in a good Bible storybook for younger children. When children are old enough, I would encourage parents to use a readable translation of the Bible, but small children will enjoy the pictures and language in a Bible storybook. I personally love The Jesus Storybook Bible
3. Memorize scripture with your children. Even the smallest children can memorize Bible verses. Genesis 1:1 is a great place to start. Before my son started preschool, I found www.abcjesuslovesme.com, a great early-learning resource, and they have a scripture memory plan for children 2-5 years old {found in the weekly lesson plans}. Older kids can use these same verses as well.
4. Look for teachable moments throughout the day. Be alert for opportunities to teach spiritual lessons. Teach your children that they should help others because that’s what Jesus did. Teach them to love the difficult people because that’s what Jesus did.
5. Go outside and look for a vine and branches. Talk about how the branches will only stay healthy when connected to the vine. Look for buds or other proof of “good fruit” growing off the branches. Use this illustration along with John 15 talk about the importance of staying connected to Jesus through discipleship.
Teachable moments are everywhere,
if we can slow down long enough to find them.
3 Truths to Share with Your Child about Discipleship:
1. Being a disciple means being a follower of Jesus. When we follow Jesus we grow to be more like him and his Father God.
2. As followers of Jesus, we can use prayer, worship and Bible reading to help us grow daily.
3. When we are following Jesus, we will show his love to others through our actions.
Prayer:
God, thank you that we have access to You wherever we are, whether at home or at church, through the sacrifice of Jesus. Thank you that we can be your disciples and follow you daily. Please help us to be faithful to this command. Guide us as we learn truths found in Your Word, and as we model what it means to follow Jesus. Amen.
If you already practice family worship times, I would love to hear about what resources you use, or what format you have chosen. Please share your questions and helpful tips in the comments!
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