Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Family”
Our Bible verse for today: “These words I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.’ Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Raise your children in church.”
I was raised in the Catholic Church. My mother was a devout Catholic her entire life and she raised all six of us children in the church. Our church was Saint Matthews Catholic Church and it was right around the corner from our house. If the house across the street had not been there, I could have seen our church from our front yard.
Every Sunday morning without fail my mother would lead the six of us up the sidewalk, around the corner, and into the church. Every Wednesday night we would all repeat that trip to go to catechism classes (the equivalent of Sunday school).
My mom was a godly woman of deep faith and she worked hard to plant the seeds of faith into the hearts of her children. This is what Moses was commanding in Deuteronomy 6:6-9. What he was describing there were homes that revolved around a deep faith in God. He describes a family where the parents regularly share their faith with their children. They talk about it, they model it in their own behavior, and all throughout there home there are numerous reminders of the faith.
One of the best things parents and grandparents can do for children is to raise them in a Christian home – a home that is filled with talk and conduct and constant reminders of how important our faith in Christ is. And also, we must take our children to church. I didn’t say “send” them to church; I said “take” them to church. Your children will be much more impacted by what they see you do than by what they hear you say. So make sure they see you living the faith, not just talking about it.
I’m so deeply grateful for my mother’s example. I have to admit that as a child I went along with all the Christianity stuff simply because I had to. It was required of me by my mother. Unfortunately as a teenager and young adult I was far, far away from anything that resembled Christianity. But the seeds of faith had been planted in my heart as a child and years later, those seeds bore fruit.
Don’t ever underestimate the power and importance of a good Godly example on your children. Speak to them about the faith; model Biblical principles for them by the way you conduct yourself; and bring them to church.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 