Teach Them Diligently

Many times when parents think of teaching, they think that teaching is reserved for teachers in schools. Many parents think they cannot teach their children anything. Believe it or not, we teach our children more than we realize, and sometimes it is not even in what we say. Regardless with what we as parents think about who should be teaching our children, we must realize and accept that God has called us to teach our children. If God has blessed us with the gift of children, then we need to take an active role in fulfilling our God-given responsibility.

God tells parents in Deuteronomy 6:7, "And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children..." What exactly was God referring to when He commanded parents to teach their children with diligence? God was referring to His Word. We as parents are called to teach our children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6) which of course is God's way.

If you were to look up the word teach, it means, "To impart knowledge or skill to; To provide knowledge of; To cause to learn by example or experience; To carry on instruction on a regular basis." Parents do this from the time the child is born and it is possible they never thought about it this way. So parents should not think they cannot teach, because they do by the words they say, the commands they give, and by the actions they take. Parents have a choice though. They can teach righteousness or unrighteousness. To teach them the way God has prescribed, then parents must teach righteousness. 

Teaching righteousness comes through teaching the Word of God. In order to accomplish this, the Word of God must be a daily part of a parent's and child's life. This means parents cannot rely primarily on the church to teach their children since church services are only a two to three times per week. Also, God didn't say to parents, "let the church staff teach your children." No, God told parents to teach. This doesn't mean that other can't supplement what we as parents are required to teach, however parents must be the primary teacher of God's ways. 

Therefore parents must have a plan each day to delve into God's word. God actually said with teaching our children diligently that we "shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up" (Deteronomy 6:7). This is very important to grasp. Again, too many times parents rely on churches to teach their children about God. However it would be impossible to accomplish Deuteronomy 6:7 if parents solely relied on the church. This is because we must teach them at the following times, which is not when we are always in a church building:

1. Talk of them when thou sittest in thine house - God's Word must have free reign in the home. Parents must purposely look for ways to teach God's word, discuss God's word, and implement God's Word in the home. For us, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are great times to read and discuss God's Word since everyone is gather together already. We also use God's word to teach our children how to interact with each other. "Sowing discord" (e.g., fighting, arguing, etc.) is a popular Biblical saying in our home. We encourage our children not to do this since this is one of seven things God hates and even considers an abomination (Proverbs 6:19).
2. When thou walkest by the way - Look for opportunities when you are driving down the road, walking through a shopping mall, or walking through the grocery store to implement God's Word. Too many times parents think God's Word can't be used for practical living. However in order to live the way God desires for us to live, we must put His Word into practice everywhere!
3. When thou liest down - Bedtime prayer and Bible time is essential. Ending the day reflecting on how God has blessed the family is a lifestyle practice to be desired. Praying for others at this time is also something that should be practiced. Be careful though not to simply pray a "Now I lay me down to sleep..." prayer. Those prayers most of the time are not the type of prayer God is desiring from His people. God desires heart felt communication, not repetitive poems. Studying God's Word just before bed is also very important since the last thing on the children's minds is God. Believe it or not, this also helps with reducing or eliminating nightmares.
4. When thou risest up - We teach our children the first thing they should do when they wake in the morning is thank God for a night of rest, thank God for a new day to serve Him, and ask Him to help us to obey and honor Him. Once we complete our morning routines, we assemble to the dining table for breakfast and proceed to have morning devotions. The devotion doesn't have to be long (and many times can't be with small children), however it must be prayerfully considered. We try to implement character development into the devotion. Therefore we frequently discuss Godly character qualities such as respect, honor, obedience, thoroughness, or diligence (just to name a few) which are accompanied by an appropriate scripture. After reading and repeating the scripture, we will ask questions about how to apply it in order to get them thinking about how to implement God's Word into their life.

Whatever methods parents decide to teach their children with, God has already given the outline for teaching in Deuteronomy 6:7. Parents must take the Word of God into their hands and share it with their children. This lifestyle of having God's Word as a daily part of one's life will require diligence (e.g., dedication, devotion, perseverance). Satan doesn't want families to read or study the Word of God since he knows this is where the truth about all of life resides. Satan is full of lies and wants to deceive as many as he can. That is why God said "teach them diligently." It will require effort, but Jesus said those that endure until the end shall be saved (Matthew 24:13). 

Finally, by teaching children the Word of God, not only is knowledge imparted from one to another, but parents demonstrate to their children by EXAMPLE that the Word of God is important. This is learning "by example or experience" which remember is TEACHING! Our goal as parents should be to impart the knowledge and wisdom of God to our children's hearts so they will have it to help them through the issues of life. This can come only through teaching them diligently.