God makes clear in His Word that the primary responsibility of teaching children about Him lies squarely with their parents. Yet, an insidious philosophy has penetrated our culture and, in particular, the Church, that promotes the lie that pastors, ministers, and Sunday school teachers are primarily responsible for teaching our children about God. This is not true and is, in fact, a grave abdication of our chief responsibility as parents.

Scripture makes clear that the responsibility of teaching our children about God belongs to us, the parents. Let’s look at Deuteronomy 6: 6-9:  “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.”

Are we taking this Scripture command to heart? Are we teaching the Word diligently to our children? Are we talking to them about God’s Word when we sit in our homes, when we walk with our children, when we put them to bed, and when we get up and interact with them in the morning? Are we keeping God’s Word continually in front of us and our children? Are we putting the Scriptures in prominent visible places?

As we begin a new year as parents, let us commit to making the teaching of the Word to our children a top priority.  Let us repent of our failure to do so in the past, and let us obey God’s mandate to teach His Word continually to the children He has entrusted to us.

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Copyright 2018 by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, DMin, MFA.  All Rights Reserved.

The Dandelion Patch by MaryAnn Diorio

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