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MAKING GOD'S
WORD PART OF FAMILY LIFE
(DEUTERONOMY 6:5-9)
One
of the greatest treasures God entrusts to any man or woman is
a child. No one can quite replace a parent in the life of a child.
What are you doing to help your child to know God and His Word?
Relate God's Word to Your
Family's Everyday Activities
In Deuteronomy, God commands parents to incorporate His Word into
their daily thinking and speaking and living, from morning till
bedtime. Here are just some examples:- Singing hymns or choruses
as you wash the dishes. Talking about the things of the Lord as
you take the children home from church or school or admire the
wonders of God's creation and praise Him together when you go
for a walk. Let children see your faith in God in your responses
to day-to day happenings and remember that as you answer the many
questions children ask each day, talk to them about the day's
events and show them how to behave at home, at school and at play.
This teaches them patterns of thinking, speaking, and acting.
Pray that your teaching will always be according to the Word of
God.
Plan Structured Times of Bible Teaching for the Family
Be sure also to set aside definite times to study God's Word.
If father is not there, mother can lead the family in a devotional
time (Proverbs 1:8). Here are several essentials of family worship:
- Choose a time that suits everyone-
Schedule family worship time regularly and ask God to help you
keep to it.
- Keep your Bible time age-appropriate-For
children under four, take a few minutes each day to read a Bible
verse or short portion of Scripture, pray, and perhaps sing
a Christian song.
- Encourage children to take part- Children
love to participate, and they learn most by doing.
- Sing hymns and choruses
- Use the Bible, select passages that
children can easily understand- Excellent Bible story books
and devotional guides may be used. However, these materials
should only be supplements for nothing can replace the word
of God. As soon as your children are old enough to read, encourage
them to begin reading from the Word of God for family worship.
Use your family times to make your children comfortable in the
Scriptures.
- Equip your children to face difficulties-
Children receive much wrong information, and they face many
evil influences. Their daily experiences with both peers and
teachers are bound to create questions and may also generate
doubts.
- Learn and review Bible verses- Helping
children to memorize Scripture helps them to keep God's Word
in their hearts. This protects them from sin and guide them
in decisions, renew their minds and gives them the right words
as they witness to their friends.
- Share prayer requests and have a time
of prayer- Make your prayers simple and sincere. Use your family
worship time as a place where children learn to pray aloud before
others.
- Vary your worship time- Try using
real life stories, missionary news or reading an excerpt from
a Christian biography. It is also profitable to share ways that
God has been working in your life and encourage children to
do the same.
- Keep it short- Be sensitive to the
little ones with short attention spans and to teens facing hours
of homework. For a time of family worship, the most essential
parts to be included would be the time of Bible reading and
prayer all the other aspects discussed above can be added according
to the time available and the particular needs of your family.
Adapted from Children's
Ministry Resource Bible, 1993 by Child Evangelism Fellowship Inc.
p227
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