5 Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got! 6 Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you 7 and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. 8 Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; 9 inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates. --Deuteronomy 6:5-9 The Message (version)
I've heard the actor Kirk Cameron say that we all have the ten commandments written on our hearts. We know right from wrong. We know that we shouldn't lie, steal, and kill. We know that we should respect and love God. There are, though, some questions we should be asking ourselves.
What are we teaching our children about God? What are we not saying? How much is God in our lives? Are we discussing issues about God with our children? Are we equipped to teach our children about God?
The Bible is readily available to us. That is not enough. We must know how to study the Bible. We must ask the Holy Spirit to guide us. Prayer brings about much, and God wants us to understand His words.
That's why I think it's important to reach out. When something does not make sense, it is an opportunity to look beyond ourselves. It is an opportunity to tap into the wonderful resources that are available to us. We can turn to people who are more knowledgeable than us. We can turn to online helps, too. I believe that when you truly understand what the Word of God means, and believe it, you are ready to teach the Word to your children. The authority carries more weight in it. The love you have for God will shine through. Children need parents who are sold out believers in the Lord our God. The love of God is manifest, or shown, through His words and through us, the parents. That's why it is important to search our hearts. We must see if there is anything in our lives that is not exhibiting that true love that we have for our God. He loves us and wants us to love Him, too. I think it's wonderful that we can model that love to our own children. Just looking back at all the mistakes I could fallen into makes me appreciative of the loving God I have in my life. I take the time to talk with my children about how God has helped me throughout my life. Being forty years-old has given me some perspective. It is the experiences of God's actual love and care in my life that have given me some authority to share with my children. Everyone has baggage in life from hurts and disappointments; it's what happens as a result of them. It's the struggles in life that God has brought me through that's important. How do we handle the day to day life struggles? Do we depend on ourselves? Or do we turn to our loving Heavenly Father? What are we teaching our children about the challenges in life? What do we want for our children to believe about their struggles? Are we in a constant state of frustration? Or are we turning over our struggles to God? I know that it feels weird to me that I might be the only one who knows what I'm thinking. The reality, fortunately, is that we are not alone. God knows what's in our hearts and minds. Having the Word of God is comforting to me. Whenever I have a problem, I first turn it over to God. I turn to His words. I feel peace. I trust God. I trust in no human. Not everyone understands in that concept--trust God. The truth is that people will disappoint you. Family may not protect you. Friends might back stab you. The government will continually become too intrusive. Even nature might seem to conspire against you. You might want to garden or swim, but it rains. Should you get upset at all those things? It is our nature to get mad. It's whether you learn to control it. I think about times I have been so upset that my blood pressure caused my blood to boil. It takes a lot of effort to control oneself, but it says in the Bible that you need self-control. The Bible is God's word. God loves us so much that He cautions us to control ourselves. He is not trying to restrict us from living. His words are there in the Bible to guide us to live the best life possible. My question to you, my readers is this: What are you teaching your children? Are you teaching them about God? Have you introduced them to the Word of God? Do they see you cracking open the Bible? I encourage you to have discussions whenever you can, whether after dinner or as you sit in the car. Your children and their children, will be blessed, as you share with them the love God has for us all. I pray that God gives you all, my beloveds, His wisdom and peace.
This has been an entry for the Spiritual Sundays series.
I've heard the actor Kirk Cameron say that we all have the ten commandments written on our hearts. We know right from wrong. We know that we shouldn't lie, steal, and kill. We know that we should respect and love God. There are, though, some questions we should be asking ourselves.
What are we teaching our children about God? What are we not saying? How much is God in our lives? Are we discussing issues about God with our children? Are we equipped to teach our children about God?
The Bible is readily available to us. That is not enough. We must know how to study the Bible. We must ask the Holy Spirit to guide us. Prayer brings about much, and God wants us to understand His words.
That's why I think it's important to reach out. When something does not make sense, it is an opportunity to look beyond ourselves. It is an opportunity to tap into the wonderful resources that are available to us. We can turn to people who are more knowledgeable than us. We can turn to online helps, too. I believe that when you truly understand what the Word of God means, and believe it, you are ready to teach the Word to your children. The authority carries more weight in it. The love you have for God will shine through. Children need parents who are sold out believers in the Lord our God. The love of God is manifest, or shown, through His words and through us, the parents. That's why it is important to search our hearts. We must see if there is anything in our lives that is not exhibiting that true love that we have for our God. He loves us and wants us to love Him, too. I think it's wonderful that we can model that love to our own children. Just looking back at all the mistakes I could fallen into makes me appreciative of the loving God I have in my life. I take the time to talk with my children about how God has helped me throughout my life. Being forty years-old has given me some perspective. It is the experiences of God's actual love and care in my life that have given me some authority to share with my children. Everyone has baggage in life from hurts and disappointments; it's what happens as a result of them. It's the struggles in life that God has brought me through that's important. How do we handle the day to day life struggles? Do we depend on ourselves? Or do we turn to our loving Heavenly Father? What are we teaching our children about the challenges in life? What do we want for our children to believe about their struggles? Are we in a constant state of frustration? Or are we turning over our struggles to God? I know that it feels weird to me that I might be the only one who knows what I'm thinking. The reality, fortunately, is that we are not alone. God knows what's in our hearts and minds. Having the Word of God is comforting to me. Whenever I have a problem, I first turn it over to God. I turn to His words. I feel peace. I trust God. I trust in no human. Not everyone understands in that concept--trust God. The truth is that people will disappoint you. Family may not protect you. Friends might back stab you. The government will continually become too intrusive. Even nature might seem to conspire against you. You might want to garden or swim, but it rains. Should you get upset at all those things? It is our nature to get mad. It's whether you learn to control it. I think about times I have been so upset that my blood pressure caused my blood to boil. It takes a lot of effort to control oneself, but it says in the Bible that you need self-control. The Bible is God's word. God loves us so much that He cautions us to control ourselves. He is not trying to restrict us from living. His words are there in the Bible to guide us to live the best life possible. My question to you, my readers is this: What are you teaching your children? Are you teaching them about God? Have you introduced them to the Word of God? Do they see you cracking open the Bible? I encourage you to have discussions whenever you can, whether after dinner or as you sit in the car. Your children and their children, will be blessed, as you share with them the love God has for us all. I pray that God gives you all, my beloveds, His wisdom and peace.
This has been an entry for the Spiritual Sundays series.
To compile this mini- bible study, I visited: http://www.biblestudytools.com/
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