Deuteronomy 6:4-7
· The fundamental truths of life are to be handed down to our children
· Speak to the children what is in your heart, not just academic knowledge, “shall be in thine heart, and you shall teach them diligently”
· More than doctrine (teach that also, this is a propositional statement), but your life with Christ: tell them what you’ve been through, what you’ve felt with Christ, the personal times you’ve had with Jesus
· A general principle, not a warranty
· But one thing is sure: if you don’t train them up in the right way, they will not have anything to depart from and thus no good foundation from which to base their decisions
· Do not minimize the old adage that when the pressure is on we “run home to momma;” that is, we revert to what we were taught by our parents
· “Children’s children” are grandchildren, the crown of old men and women: it is a blessing to know our children’s children
· “The glory of children are their fathers” is that children take pride in their parents, even when they wear the wrong clothes and embarrass them; this pride is from teaching them the truth, not in being fashionable
· Adolescence does not count: this starts about the time they hit 22 yrs old (LOL)
· Children are a blessing from God: there are joys that can only be known through children
· It’s not a right, for not all can have children; there are many other blessings out there
· But it is a blessing of its own flavor, and is to be appreciated for the blessing it is
· Raising children and experiencing children is a divine gift; and there’s nothing wrong with a lot of them
· Hannah was barren but offered to the Lord her child if He would grant her prayer
· He did and she did; she knew that children were not her possession, but the Lord’s
· Honor the Lord through the children, not with the children; they are a part of your life with Christ, not your exclusive possession
· A Spirit-controlled life (5:18) has an impact on the family relationship
· Children obey their parents because this is pleasing in the Lord’s sight
· The Lord blesses this with prosperity and longevity: it is a general rule that those who honor the God-given leadership of their parents avoid a lot of the pitfalls that come on those who do not, pitfalls which result in bad decisions
· Fathers are the spiritual leaders of the family but must not exasperate their children with inconsistency, tyrannical demands, or petty favoritism
· Wisdom is the thing, and words of wisdom can bring wisdom to our children and our joy
· Children can send us to the heights of euphoria and the depths of despair
· There are no guarantees, only guidelines: with hope and prayer
· Hand down the truth from generation to generation: let the children know and hear your words
· They will hand it down; the greatest legacy is not in what you leave them, but what you show them
· The spirit of a child is the spirit of Christ’s kingdom: humble, trusting, loving
· And of the sin nature, which cannot be dismissed: demanding, selfish, rebellious
· The teachings of Christ’s kingdom are designed to deal with the ravages of the sin nature
· So let the children come: it is a divine imperative
You will be known by what is handed down to you and what you’ll do with it
You’ll make your own way with what you were given, in freedom and responsibility, but “that life” is handed down by the parents to the children
“That life” was not always easy and not perfectly lived (some crying involved), but you know they loved you
So, teach your children well; it does have an impact; maybe not immediately visible, but like the pull of gravity we will remember and base our lives on those handed-down values
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